Now that the final names of the NSUI and ABVP candidates have been announced, campaigning in the campus for the DUSU elections is in full swing. And though the administration has chalked out campaign guidelines, candidates are out to woo students with gifts and freebies.
“I got a body lotion from one of the candidates who was distributing expensive cosmetics,” said a student of Kirori Mal College.
Nitika Pandit, a student of SRCC, says, “Sometime back there were messages doing the rounds in campus about parties giving out free coupons to students of some outlets in Kamla Nagar market. Even I received a message about McDonalds serving free food after 4pm to college students.”
To woo male students, some students’ organisations allegedly arrange for crates of beer and cartons of liquor, and these are sent to hostels the night before the election, says a former member of a students’ organisation.
Says Arjun Shrinivas of Hindu College, “Basically, we have these touts in our hostels. The parties contact them and the touts campaign on their behalf. It’s common knowledge that the touts are on their payroll.”
As NSUI selects Bhupendra Choudhary and Sangeeta Verma as final nominees for election, Deepika Deshwal from NSUI says, “We are distributing notepads, pens and pencils among students. We are also planning to take students from girls’ colleges to Fun and Food Village, Gurgaon. The place is booked for five days for them.”
Going by the code of conduct of DU elections, expenses should not exceed `5,000 per candidate. But even by conservative estimates, NSUI and ABVP are spending anywhere between `4 to 6 lakh.
“Although ABVP does not believe in doling out gifts, there are candidates who distribute free chocolates, flowers, movie tickets and free food in canteen to students. These are just inexpensive gifts. We don’t believe in splurging on hi-end freebies to attract voters,” says Nitu, former secretary DUSU.