[ad_1]
Last updated:
DUSU election results have been withheld for over a month as court orders required clearing the distortions before the results were declared.
This year DU faced criticism from the court for failing to implement the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines and National Green Tribunal (NGT) rules. (file photo)
Following the Delhi High Court’s intervention following issues in this year’s elections, the Delhi University Students Union is planning to take stringent steps to prevent the use of “money and muscle power” in elections.
A committee on electoral reforms met on Tuesday to discuss possible measures to prevent repeated violations of election guidelines, including excessive spending by candidates and widespread defacement of public property.
The committee also discussed reserving seats for women in student union elections.
This year DU faced criticism from the court for failing to implement the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines and National Green Tribunal (NGT) rules.
Large-scale graffiti and posters were put up in public places and on the walls of the university, leading to complaints, following which the court ordered the university to compensate civic agencies for the clean-up costs.
The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has demanded a compensation of Rs 1 crore, citing extensive cleaning in its 12 zones.
“A major concern discussed in the meeting was damage to public property during the elections, on which the court directions came,” a DU official said on condition of anonymity.
“We are exploring reform measures to address these issues, but they are still in the discussion stage and further meetings will be required to establish clear policies,” the official said.
The guidelines of the Lyngdoh Committee, set up to ensure fair and responsible conduct in student elections, limit campaign expenditure to Rs 5,000 per candidate. However, candidates are often seen violating this rule with high-end cars, big banners and expensive campaign materials, which undermines the purpose of the guidelines.
DU campuses were flooded with printed posters and banners in the run-up to this year’s elections, despite rules strictly prohibiting such materials.
To address these issues, DU plans to strengthen rule enforcement and is expected to submit a report to the court on November 11, when the court will hear the matter.
DUSU election results have been withheld for over a month due to a court order requiring the distortion to be cleared before the results are declared. This is the first time that the results have been delayed.
The elections were held on 27 September and the results were originally scheduled to be released on 28 September.
(This story has not been edited by AyraNews24x7 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI,
[ad_2]
