Delhi University Student Elections Campaign: RSS throws weight behind the ABVP amid strong threat from the AAP

Delhi University polls battle heats up: RSS throws weight behind the student body amid strong threat from the AAP

By Siddhartha Rai and Astha Saxena

Published: 22:27 GMT, 7 September 2015 | Updated: 22:27 GMT, 7 September 2015


This year, the high-profile Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) election will witness a direct fight between the Right and what many call the new Left, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the Aam Aadmi Party’s debutant student wing, the Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS).

ABVP’s parent organisation, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), is throwing its weight behind the student body this year like it has never done before.

While the entry of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has made the contest triangular, the RSS is taking no chances this time, lest the history of this year’s Delhi Assembly elections repeats itself.
The Delhi University Students Union elections have become more intense with the entry of the AAP-backed Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS)
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The Delhi University Students Union elections have become more intense with the entry of the AAP-backed Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS)

For aspiring young politicians, being elected to the DUSU is seen as a stepping stone to national politics. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, senior Congress leader Ajay Maken and Delhi BJP president Satish Upadhyay are among the many national and state-level politicians who began their political career from DUSU.

“The Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) is preparing holistically. Several sister organisations of the ABVP have been roped in to support the student body, including the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM). The RSS functionaries always help during the student union elections, so do workers from the BJP. This is why we are a parivar (family). We do not want a repeat of the last Delhi Assembly election results this time. While an adverse result won’t be a commentary on the performance of the BJP at the national level, detractors will get an opportunity to make noise. Also, the NSUI is acting as the B-Team of the student wing of AAP,” said a highly-placed functionary of the Delhi unit of BJYM.

“We are leaving no stone unturned. We will convince and bring all ABVP sympathisers, supporters as well as floating voters to the booth,” he added.
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Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/indiahome/indianews/article-3225606/Delhi-University-polls-battle-RSS-throws-weight-student-body-amid-strong-threat-AAP.html