<div>Student leaders from rival ABVP and NSUI filed their nominations on Thursday for Delhi University Students’ Union elections, but both parties are yet to pick their presidential candidate.<br /><br />According to some, the key to winning is to pick a Jat, Gujjar or a woman candidate for the president’s post. Polling is on September 9.<br /><br />Chhatra Marg, the main road through the North Campus, was barricaded by police during the nominations.<br /><br />Poll rules forbid campaigning on nomination day, but the BJP-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and Congress-affiliated National Students Union of India were both breaking them.<br /><br />There is competition within parties as well. Miranda House student Mahamedhaa Nagar, who is seeking the DUSU president’s post, said the ABVP is pushing for another girl, Priyanka Chhawarii, as her father is associated with Bharatiya Janata Party for years. <br /><br />Nagar said this shouldn’t be the criteria for candidacy. She claims she has a bigger claim for the nomination.<br /><br />She was vice president at Miranda House, represented India as a youth woman leader in a 45-day programme funded by US Government in which 80 countries participated, and also appeared in a magazine conclave against Jawaharlal Nehru University president Kanhaiya Kumar. <br /><br />She claims Chhawarii was only brought in at the last-minute because she is a Gujjar. “This year pushing women candidates is one of the key strategies. Priyanka finished her graduation in six years. The ABVP was waiting for her to clear her exams to take her in,” said Nagar. <br /><br />DUSU vice president Sunny Dedha said the ABVP is dominated by the Gujjar community in Delhi University. But this year, there is also a Jat candidate, Ankit Sangwan.<br /><br />Priyanka Chhawarii and another ABVP candidate, Vishal Yadav, got most of the limelight on Thursday. ABVP members chanted their names and carried large posters with their names. <br /><br />ABVP and NSUI both nominated eight candidates for the four DUSU posts – president, vice president, secretary and joint secretary. Others will have to wait. <br /><br />Like Arjun Chaprana, who contested elections on an ABVP ticket for the past four years and joined NSUI just 10 days back. ABVP never nominated him for the top post. <br /><br />He said students recognise him. He has been counsellor for three years. He knew the problems faced by students and has lead many student agitations in DU, the student argued. <br /><br />Police had put up barricades on both sides of the office of chief election officer, where students filed their nominations. On one side ABVP members cheered, and on the other those from the NSUI.<br /><br />Nominations were to end at 3 pm, but students went in till 4 pm. In the NSUI, Mohit Gerud and Sunny Chillar were cheered the most.<br /><br />“People bring in their own friends to cheer for them. It only shows Gerud and Chillar have more friends,” said Ajay Chahar, cheering for Chillar. He said he is supporting Chillar because he is a friend. <br /><br />A boy holding an ABVP badge saying ‘Vote for Vishal Yadav’ said he was not even part of the University. He came to support his friend Vishal Yadav.<br /><br />“I have nothing to do with politics I just came because he called me. I am preparing for my SSC exams,” he said. <br /><br />All India Students Association, which is almost absent from the scene, has proposed Kanwalpreet Kaur as their presidential candidate this year. <br /><br />Ameesh Verma, came alone from South Campus to fill in his form from AISA. He said that no one knows him yet. He has filled in for all the posts for now. After ‘scrutiny’, AISA will decide for which position he should contest.<br /><br />An AISA statement claimed credit for getting authorities to ban the use of prefixes like `AAA’ before candidate’s names. It alleged that parties like ABVP and NSUI used this tactic so that their candidates were placed higher on the ballot paper, which went by the alphabetical order.<br /><br />The last DUSU president ‘aaa Satinder Awana’ too resorted to this, the party said.<br />Nominations can be withdrawn on September 3. On September 4, the university will bring out the list of valid candidates.<br /></div>
<div>Student leaders from rival ABVP and NSUI filed their nominations on Thursday for Delhi University Students’ Union elections, but both parties are yet to pick their presidential candidate.<br /><br />According to some, the key to winning is to pick a Jat, Gujjar or a woman candidate for the president’s post. Polling is on September 9.<br /><br />Chhatra Marg, the main road through the North Campus, was barricaded by police during the nominations.<br /><br />Poll rules forbid campaigning on nomination day, but the BJP-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and Congress-affiliated National Students Union of India were both breaking them.<br /><br />There is competition within parties as well. Miranda House student Mahamedhaa Nagar, who is seeking the DUSU president’s post, said the ABVP is pushing for another girl, Priyanka Chhawarii, as her father is associated with Bharatiya Janata Party for years. <br /><br />Nagar said this shouldn’t be the criteria for candidacy. She claims she has a bigger claim for the nomination.<br /><br />She was vice president at Miranda House, represented India as a youth woman leader in a 45-day programme funded by US Government in which 80 countries participated, and also appeared in a magazine conclave against Jawaharlal Nehru University president Kanhaiya Kumar. <br /><br />She claims Chhawarii was only brought in at the last-minute because she is a Gujjar. “This year pushing women candidates is one of the key strategies. Priyanka finished her graduation in six years. The ABVP was waiting for her to clear her exams to take her in,” said Nagar. <br /><br />DUSU vice president Sunny Dedha said the ABVP is dominated by the Gujjar community in Delhi University. But this year, there is also a Jat candidate, Ankit Sangwan.<br /><br />Priyanka Chhawarii and another ABVP candidate, Vishal Yadav, got most of the limelight on Thursday. ABVP members chanted their names and carried large posters with their names. <br /><br />ABVP and NSUI both nominated eight candidates for the four DUSU posts – president, vice president, secretary and joint secretary. Others will have to wait. <br /><br />Like Arjun Chaprana, who contested elections on an ABVP ticket for the past four years and joined NSUI just 10 days back. ABVP never nominated him for the top post. <br /><br />He said students recognise him. He has been counsellor for three years. He knew the problems faced by students and has lead many student agitations in DU, the student argued. <br /><br />Police had put up barricades on both sides of the office of chief election officer, where students filed their nominations. On one side ABVP members cheered, and on the other those from the NSUI.<br /><br />Nominations were to end at 3 pm, but students went in till 4 pm. In the NSUI, Mohit Gerud and Sunny Chillar were cheered the most.<br /><br />“People bring in their own friends to cheer for them. It only shows Gerud and Chillar have more friends,” said Ajay Chahar, cheering for Chillar. He said he is supporting Chillar because he is a friend. <br /><br />A boy holding an ABVP badge saying ‘Vote for Vishal Yadav’ said he was not even part of the University. He came to support his friend Vishal Yadav.<br /><br />“I have nothing to do with politics I just came because he called me. I am preparing for my SSC exams,” he said. <br /><br />All India Students Association, which is almost absent from the scene, has proposed Kanwalpreet Kaur as their presidential candidate this year. <br /><br />Ameesh Verma, came alone from South Campus to fill in his form from AISA. He said that no one knows him yet. He has filled in for all the posts for now. After ‘scrutiny’, AISA will decide for which position he should contest.<br /><br />An AISA statement claimed credit for getting authorities to ban the use of prefixes like `AAA’ before candidate’s names. It alleged that parties like ABVP and NSUI used this tactic so that their candidates were placed higher on the ballot paper, which went by the alphabetical order.<br /><br />The last DUSU president ‘aaa Satinder Awana’ too resorted to this, the party said.<br />Nominations can be withdrawn on September 3. On September 4, the university will bring out the list of valid candidates.<br /></div>
