The Hindu : New Delhi News : New NSUI code for poll ticket

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Aug 14, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

New NSUI code for poll ticket

By Lakshmi B.Ghosh

NEW DELHI, AUG. 13. The Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) elections are going the corporate way -- at least as far as the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) is concerned.

With the last date for filing of nominations just a week away, the student outfit has now announced that all members wanting a ticket will have to submit an application and go through an interview.

But that is not all. With a clean image now being seen as an inseparable part of their candidate's personality, the student outfit wants all wannabe student leaders to present their academic background, their social background and also their "social acceptability''.

According to the NSUI national spokesperson, Kuntal Krishna, "the academic performance of the candidate will be extremely important as will be the social acceptability. We have asked the candidates to give us a record of their past, including any kind of criminal charge or even political allegation made against them. The idea is to select someone with a clean image.''

With the student outfit announcing its screening committee for the selection of the final candidates on Thursday, the race for top slots is on in this organisation. On the panel are former DUSU president Amit Mallik, Nadeem Zayed, Satish Dahiya, Nayaman, Rashmi, Akhil Chadha and Chainika. NSUI members interested in getting a ticket to fight the central panel posts will have to submit their applications by August 16.

All the applicants, claims the NSUI, will be put through an interview to test their attitude and aptitude in handling the responsibility.

For a student outfit that has been accused of using poster politics to win the DUSU elections in the past, the NSUI's attempt to go for an all clean look is already being dismissed as a hogwash by its opponents, with most calling it nothing more than an eye wash.

With the NSUI as of now holding all four central posts, the outfit says it does not want to be complacent.

Interestingly enough, the NSUI had used the same issue while fighting last year's DUSU elections, specially for the presidential candidate Rohit Chaudhary.

"Considering they are the student outfit who have openly said that they will not stop sticking posters and will use money power to win the elections, the all clean image claim clearly doesn't suit them. But if they are serious, then it obviously would help the DUSU elections in being more healthy,'' said a member of another student outfit.

And although other student outfits are likely to be just as careful about the merits of their own candidates, this DUSU election may just be a little different.

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