The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)-backed Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) dominated the recently concluded Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) 2018 elections, winning the top-most posts of President, Vice-President and Joint Secretary on Thursday.
ABVP’s Ankit Basoya, Shakti Singh and Jyoti Choudhary won the posts of President, Vice-President and Joint Secretary respectively, with their nearest rivals, National Students Union of India (NSUI), backed by Congress, only managing to win the post of the Secretary.
Soon after the elections, there was different mood in the two camps. The ABVP celebrated their convincing win, while the NSUI cried foul over the manner in which the elections were held. The students of NSUI claimed that the EVM’s used for the 2018 DUSU elections were rigged, and had malfunctioned in several areas. The Election Commission backed away from taking responsibility of the manner in which the EVM’s worked. The Chief Electoral Officer was quoted by PTI as saying, “With reference to captions being shown in some news channels regarding use of EVMs in the elections of DUSU, I am directed to inform that the EVMs in question are not of Election Commission as no such EVMs have been allotted/issued to DU by this office.”
“It was also confirmed from the state election commission that no such machines have been given by them too,” a statement issued by the office of the Chief Electoral Officer in Delhi said. It seems that the DU has procured these machines privately. A detailed report in this regard will be sent subsequently as all the officials of DU are not available and busy in their election process at present,” the statement by the EC added.
Earlier in the day, the polls were stopped halfway after protests emerged against the faulty EVM’s. The counting of votes was stopped in the evening for about an hour after the officials took note of the situation, but later, it began.
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