Candidates in the Fray for Key Posts: A Breakdown by Gender and Party
This year, a total of 87 candidates have filed nominations for the four major DUSU posts – President, Vice President, Secretary, and Joint Secretary.Following preliminary scrutiny, it was revealed that 31 out of these 87 candidates are female, reflecting a notable presence of women in the race for student leadership. The final list of candidates will be published after Friday noon, once the nomination scrutiny is complete.
For the position of President, 28 candidates have submitted nominations, including 10 women. Meanwhile, 19 students are vying for the Vice President’s role, 7 of whom are female. The Secretary post saw 22 nominations, 7 from women, and the position of Joint Secretary attracted 18 candidates, with 7 female contenders.
In terms of political affiliations, the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and All India Students’ Association (AISA) have formed an alliance and announced their candidates. Saavy Gupta, a third-year student from Law Centre-2, is the alliance’s candidate for President, while Ayush Mondal, a first-year student, will contest for Vice President. Sneha Agarwal, another first-year law student, is running for Secretary, and Anamika K, a first-year MA political science student, has filed her nomination for Joint Secretary.
On the other hand, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) are yet to officially announce their candidates. According to TNN, ABVP stated that it “will officially announce candidates contesting in the DUSU elections on Friday.” The final declarations are expected by Friday.
Provisional List of Candidates by Post and Gender
Responsibilities of the DUSU President
The DUSU President is the highest-ranking student representative and plays a pivotal role in addressing student concerns. The President is responsible for leading the student body and acting as a liaison between the administration and the students. Their duties include:
Policy Representation: The President represents the collective interests of the students in university matters, such as academic policies, hostel allocations, and campus security.
Crisis Management: They are responsible for addressing issues like strikes, protests, and other crises, ensuring the peaceful resolution of disputes while safeguarding student interests.
Budget Allocation: The President oversees the allocation of funds for student activities, including cultural fests, sports events, and academic programs.
Event Coordination: The role involves facilitating major university events such as DUSU Fest, student council meetings, and other extracurricular activities that enhance the campus experience.
Leadership and Vision: Most importantly, the President is expected to set the tone for student politics, fostering a vision of inclusivity, growth, and responsibility.
Responsibilities of the DUSU Vice President
The Vice President works in close coordination with the President and fills in when the President is unavailable. Their responsibilities are essential to the smooth functioning of the student body:
Support Role: The Vice President provides administrative and logistical support to the President and helps execute student council decisions and activities.
Supervision of Events: The Vice President often takes charge of overseeing large-scale university events, including sports tournaments and social functions, ensuring that they are well-organised.
Student Welfare Initiatives: They play a crucial role in launching welfare initiatives, such as mental health awareness campaigns, scholarship programs, and anti-ragging policies.
Conflict Resolution: The Vice President mediates in student disputes and helps maintain a peaceful and harmonious campus environment.
As the election date approaches, student unions and candidates will ramp up their campaigns, and the university community awaits the final list of candidates to be published soon. With competitive contenders from all major student political organisations, DUSU 2024 promises to be a closely watched election.
