The Year Political Parties Jumped Into DU Students Union Election

 

NK SINGH

Politics, says John Masters, is nothing to talk about. It is something in which we live; it is a part and parcel of the human environment. To quote Aristotle, "Man is a political being.

Hence, the politicization of a student union election is nothing to be scared of. However, politics has its pros and cons, And if one follows the recent developments in the Delhi University Students Union elections closely, there appear more pros than cons.

To begin with, even to a casual observer, it will appear as a study in contrast. In a university where the overwhelming majority of students consists of apolitical elements, the leadership comprises those reflecting firm and not-so-firm -- there have been cases of defection -- political commitments. 

Petty group interests and individual interests help more to establish the political label of a leader than anything else. In brief, there may be political commitments, but no ideological commitment, which is a must for healthy politics. 

Politics has brought with it, another evil into the academic corridors: the growing role played by money during the elections for various students' union posts.

The office of the DUSU President is prized for its prestige. Till a few years ago, when the only challenge during the elections came from various student factions, the successful candidate was normally the son of a nouveau riche who could spare a few thousand rupees to keep his delinquent son away from mischief. 

But the Jana Sangh, through their student's wing the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad made a serious bid for the presidentship and other posts in the mid-1960s and since then political parties have been involved in the elections fray every year. 

It subsequently resulted in the squandering of money during an election campaign, which calls for an examination of the poll procedure itself.

About 337 supreme councillors form the electoral college for election to the Students' Union offices. They are supposed to represent the 40,000 students belonging to the college unions affiliated with the DUSU.

Bargaining starts as the election dates are set. Many small groups of students get ready for the battle and contacts are made with various political parties to gauge the situation and determine the plan of action which means deciding the amount of money to be spent.

This year, for the first time, major political parties, entered the fray and sponsored candidates. Even the formality of a camouflage had been forsaken. In the past, even candidates who had political support went out as independents before the elections. 

The patronage of a political party was something generally known but not officially acknowledged. Only after the election victory would political affiliation show itself with political supporters of the successful candidate swarming the students' union office,

This year the situation was entirely different. For the first time, the student wings of various political parties had supported their candidates openly.

Right from the beginning both the Congress and the Jana Sangh treated it as a prestige election with political overtones. As a result, this was the most keenly contested and expansive election in DUSU's history.

There were 21 candidates for the four posts of President, Vice-President, Secretary and Joint-Secretary. Shri Ram Khanna, Deepak Malhotra, Madhu Kishwar and Ramkrishna Kaushik were the four candidates for presidentship which seem to have become a high prize for political parties,

While Khanna was supported by Jana Sangh, Malhotra had Congress's backing. Kishwar fought a lone battle, supported at the last moment by the CPM and the SSP student wings. Their support was of little use as she could not even affect the election results. However, it was the first time that a girl took part in the DUSU elections. 

The fourth candidate, Kaushik, had the support of ex-DUSU president Subhash Chopra. He was more of a dummy than anything else. 

Senior politicians of Delhi were in charge of the election campaign on the Jana Sangh and the Congress sides. 

On the Jana Sangh side, senior RSS leaders, including a prominent civic body man, were in charge. 

The Congress boys had a local MP to look after them. Behind the curtain was a prominent Central Minister and a Minister of State who operated through their son and nephew respectively. A Second MP is also believed to have helped out with the bargaining with student factions. 

Besides this, scores of local netas including many Executive Councillors entered the fray to impress the student electorate. On polling day, groups of political leaders moved around polling booths in cars,

That the election had assumed political overtones became too clear from the Sangh's jubilation over the victory of Sri Ram Khanna, the Vidyarthi Parishad Candidate. 

Ex-Chief Executive Councillor V.K. Malhotra (JS) saw in it the "Victory of nationalist forces and the trouncing of anti-national forces". The Motherland characterised the result as "one of those small but significant things which herald the coming of bigger and better things." 

Some JS enthusiasts, writing in the same newspaper, made the point more elaborate: "The victory of Sri Ram Khanna is the victory of the Vidyarthi Parishad and it clearly shows that it is the Jana Sangh party, which is loved by a majority of the educated class."

Money squandering has assumed a special form in Delhi. University in the last few years. The voters are taken out on lavish 'pleasure trips to hill resorts and provided a red-carpet treatment till the day of polling when they are brought back to Delhi to cast their votes in favour of their respective 'hosts'. 

The practice of virtually confining large groups of supreme councillors in one lavish place is believed to be one way of saving them from the influence of rivals.

This year, unlike the previous years, no individual candidate was blamed for spending money on supreme counsellors. Rather it was the political parties who hold the entire responsibility. In fact, for the first time this year, the personal expenditure on elections of any candidate was much less than in previous years.

Money literally flowed. Over 200 cars and luxury taxis were used, free luxury trips to hill resorts were arranged and the 'Khalifas' were paid in cash. Even belles were provided to look after those who were not satisfied with mere free wining, dining and holidays. 

More than 100 supreme councillors were reportedly taken in luxury cars from Delhi to Chandigarh, and then to Simla. When in Simla the students told the organisers that they had not brought woollens with them, they were promptly provided with the same.

Congress campaigners had organised four other camps for entertaining councillors: in Delhi a bungalow adjacent to Chief Executive Councillor's bungalow on Talkotora Road, a farm on Mehrauli Road, Pinjore Garden and Mussoorie. The seven-day merriment included free drinks, money for gambling, choice food and all that satisfied the whims of the distinguished 'guests'.

The reason for Congress candidate's defeat is said to be inter alia that the party spent too much and that too on the wrong persons with dubious commitments. 

The Jana Sangh, on the other hand, did better, with an equally liberal spending. It bought right type of voters -- there was no sabotage in their camps nor was money spent on wrong persons. No doubt, there were other reasons too, like intimidation of voters by JS in colleges where they were in a strong position. 

But the point becomes more clear in view of the fact that nearly 200 supreme councillors were brought to the polling booths in Congress cars whereas the number of total votes polled by the Congrress candidate was 129.

Young Indian

September 21, 1972