AAP’s CYSS won’t contest DUSU polls

The Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) student wing, the Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS), will not contest student union elections in Delhi University this year too.

The CYSS, which was launched by AAP in 2014, contested the DU students’ union (DUSU) polls in 2015 but decided to give it a miss last year.

The students’ wing said they are boycotting the polls this year as election is only about “money and muscle power” rather issues.

“We are boycotting the DUSU polls. The Lyngdoh Committee recommendations are not strictly followed. There is too much use of money and muscle power by students’ parties. They come in fleets of cars and canvass. This all needs to stop,” Abhash Chandela, said national in-charge of CYSS.

The DUSU polls are scheduled for September 12.

Chandela said that CYSS will instead fight elections at the college level because there is less interference of outsiders in them unlike the DUSU polls.

AAP’s spokesperson Saurabh Bhardwaj said unless the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations are strictly implemented, it is difficult for CYSS to fight the DUSU polls.

The CYSS had contested the DUSU elections in 2015 but could manage to come second in one, third in two and fourth in one, out of the four central panel posts. ABVP had swept the polls that year by winning all four seats.

The university has extended the polling duration in a bid to increase turnout . Students will now get four-and-a-half hours to vote instead of four.

“Earlier the university had decided to conduct voting between 8.30am and 2.30pm for morning colleges but now the voting will happen between 8.30am and1.00pm. Similarly, for evening colleges, the timing has been changed to 3.00pm-7.30pm,” SB Babbar, Chief election officer for DUSU said.