After the Delhi High Court ruled on Monday that the votes in the Delhi University’s Student Union (DUSU) elections will not be counted until the candidates’ defacement of public and private property is removed, the candidates stated that they have been working to clean the university every day.
Rishabh Chaudhary, the presidential candidate of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, stated, “We completely agree with the court and have been cleaning the campus on a daily basis.” The university is nearly clean. We believe in the judiciary, as they prioritize the future of students and set a good example. Chaudhary was named as a party to the HC litigation on Monday and is scheduled to appear in court on October 28.
Ronak Khatri, the presidential candidate of the National Student Union of India, disagreed with the court’s judgment. During Lok Sabha and Assembly elections, the city is inundated with posters and walls are damaged. However, there is no discussion of postponing vote counting. Why is this happening now? Instead, a student union might be established… The perpetrators of the defacement should be discovered and clean up their mess.”
Khatri has also been listed as a defendant in the litigation and is scheduled to appear before the High Court on October 28. Voting for the DUSU election took place on September 27, however the HC postponed the vote count, which was set for September 28.
The Delhi University (DU) stated that the electronic voting machines (EVM) are secure in police custody in the strong rooms.
Satyapal Singh, Chief Election Officer for DUSU polls, told The Indian Express: “The university is awaiting the court’s order. As soon as we receive it, we will take the appropriate action. Until then, the EVMs are in police custody and will be kept in secure rooms until counting is permitted.”