Walking out of Gate Number 4 of the Vishwavidyalaya metro station, students are met with a familiar sight during Delhi University’s election season: pamphlets and posters carrying the names and ballot numbers of ABVP, NSUI and other candidates.

But DU’s election guidelines prohibit candidates from using printed campaign material. Newslaundry found that some of the posters being used for canvassing appear handwritten but are actually printed on low-quality paper. Printing shops told us that thousands of such copies can be produced for a relatively low cost.

The campaign spectacle extends beyond pamphlets. 

Early this week, North Campus saw rows of Defenders, Scorpios and Thars being used in rallies, while students also described food, gifts, trips and other outreach activities organised by student groups.

The scale of these campaigns raises questions about how the rules governing DU student elections are being followed.

Under the 2005 JM Lyngdoh Committee recommendations, accepted by the Supreme Court for implementation in college and university elections, candidates may not use printed posters, pamphlets or other printed campaign material, while handmade posters are permitted only at notified campus locations. 

Vehicles and loudspeakers are barred from canvassing; processions and public meetings are restricted, requiring prior permission and no disruption to academic activities; and candidates are liable for defacement of campus property. 

The Lyngdoh committee recommendations also cap election spending at Rs 5,000 per candidate and permit funding only through voluntary contributions from the student body. 

Newslaundry found that these rules were flouted in the run-up to this year’s polls. On September 17, the Delhi High Court agreed to hear a plea alleging widespread violations of the Lyngdoh Committee’s recommendations and anti-defacement guidelines, among other concerns.

Garbage piling up during campaign season

This is not the first time campaign material has led to questions over election rules. In September 2024, these posters became a cause to pause the election results. The court had noted prima facie violations of the Lyngdoh Committee recommendations, including allegations of excessive spending and widespread defacement during campaigning. 

The Delhi High Court had asked candidates of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) and college elections to clean all campus structures defaced during the polls if they wanted the vote count to take place. The court, which had halted the counting of votes and declaration of results of DUSU and college elections, said its purpose was only to send a message that such violations would not be tolerated and not to thwart the election process.

“Why don’t you clean up the mess? The day the place is cleaned up, we will allow the counting of votes the very next day,” a bench of Chief Justice Manmohan and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela said. The court was hearing an application filed by two candidates who contested the college elections in two separate DU colleges, seeking declaration of results.

Following compliance reports and cleanup efforts, the long-delayed vote counting eventually commenced at the end of November, 2024.

‘Handwritten’ posters, printed in thousands

The posters used........

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