The Hindu : New Delhi News : Students show the way

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Aug 19, 2005

New Delhi

New Delhi

Students show the way

By Lakshmi B. Ghosh

Any candidate found defacing the college property by pasting posters or stickers will be boycotted by Venkateswara students

NEW DELHI: Poster politics may have been an accepted `ill' at the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) elections till now, but at least one college now seems to have finally found a democratic way to `vote' it out.

In a first of its kind, students of Sri Venkateswara College have passed a resolution that any party or candidate found pasting posters or stickers in the college for his support and publicity will be boycotted by them. A move aimed at preventing all aspiring student leaders from defacing college property, the resolution clearly points out that anyone found pasting posters on walls or vehicles will be boycotted by the students.

"The proposal was put forward by our social service team after members of a certain student outfit came and plastered the entire college with posters. We had recently got the walls painted and this has ruined all the work as these posters and stickers are not easy to remove. Since the proposal came from the students themselves, we were more than happy. We have, however, given the student outfits space on a notice board near the canteen to put their posters," said Sri Venkateswara College Principal, A.S. Reddy.

A menace that University authorities have found too difficult to manage in the past, this year will see many more stringent measures being put in place. "We should have the campus clear of posters by this weekend. Also, we are going to have surveillance at all college and other entry points. Posters will not be allowed at any cost," said DUSU's Chief Election Officer, Rajeev Khanna.

Meanwhile, with the last date for filing nominations for the upcoming DUSU elections inching closer, Thursday saw the first show of strength by student outfits.

While student outfits took out a rally through the campus area to flash their presence, the fresher community got a first glimpse of the great carnival that students' elections have come to be here. Saturday being the last date for filing nominations and Friday being a holiday on account of `Rakshabandhan', most student outfits decided to use Thursday for the much important rally, as it helps them mark their presence.

Taken out by the National Students' Union of India (NSUI) and the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) -- the usual contenders for the coveted posts -- the rally may have been low profile compared to previous years, but as both pointed out, the big rally would be taken out on the day they announce the final list.

The real countdown will begin only on August 23, when the final list of candidates is announced.

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