DU elections: ABVP banking on FYUP rollback, Modi fever to retain power

It will be the first big test of the political mood on Delhi’s campuses post the decisive victory of the BJP in the Lok Sabha elections.

Delhi University is gearing up for student union polls that are scheduled to be held on September 12.

Riding on the anti-FYUP (four year undergraduate programme) sentiment on campus, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) swept the polls last year winning three out of four seats. The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI) had to settle for only one seat.

“Last year we went to students on the issue of the roll-back of the FYUP programme. Through the year we campaigned against it. And our protest has succeeded with the FYUP roll back. This is one of our major achievements,” said ABVP’s Aman Awana, who was elected Delhi University Student Union (DUSU) president last year.

Awana claims that the BJP’s Lok Sabha win has attracted more students to join the ABVP. “Definitely, Modi fever is still there. Our workers are very motivated. And our units in colleges will definitely get the benefit of all this. This year, we have reached 50,000 members in Delhi University. Our aim is to reach 65,000 members,” he said,

Asked about what the ABVP’s campaign will centre around, he said, “Our main issues are the opening of new colleges, women’s safety, re-introducing the revaluation system and the provision of a ‘special chance’ to students who could not clear exams within the stipulated time period.”

After making unexpected gains in its DUSU election debut last year meanwhile, the radical-left student group All India Students’ Association (AISA), which controls the JNU student union, is expecting to better its performance this year.

In 2013, AISA came third in all four seats it contested, with its candidate for president bagging 8,229 votes compared to the winning candidate’s 17,875 votes.

“Our campaign banner is ‘Our DU, Our fight, our right’. Our three main demands are concessions to students on public transport, affordable accommodation and the setting up of gender cell in every college. On 22 August, we will hold a big gathering at the Arts Faculty. It was on this date last year that we had held a referendum on the FYUP and launched a successful campaign against it. And that had won us the support of students in last year’s election,” said Anmol Ratan, state president of AISA.

The contest this time, according to Ratan, will be directly with the ABVP. “NSUI is in bad shape. After ABVP it will be us. It won’t be a big surprise if AISA wins this time,” he said.

Having lost the advantage over FYUP in the last election, the NSUI put its full weight behind the anti-FYUP protests this year and will be hoping to see some returns from its public campaign. But NSUI faces an uphill task pitted against an aggressive ABVP and a confident AISA. It is, however, hoping to capitalise on the UPSC fallout.

“In the last one year, the ABVP has done nothing for students of Delhi University. So why will students vote for them again? And the manner in which the government handled the UPSC issue and brutally cracked down on the protestors, the youth has moved away from them. The youth are not going to support the ABVP or the BJP this time. There will be no trace of the ABVP after this election,” said Amrish Ranjan Pandey, NSUI spokesperson.

But what about the FYUP rollback?

“We protested more rigorously than the ABVP against the FYUP. Our student volunteers were on a hunger strike for seven days and were forcibly evicted by the police. The protest against FYUP was not an individual effort of the ABVP. Every student body and teachers’ association took part in the protest. So there is no question of ABVP capitalising on roll back of FYUP".

Dismissing the threat from AISA, Pandey said, “They have no base in Delhi University. The fight will be between ABVP and NSUI.”