politics · 2026-09-20
How DUSU Candidates Dodge The ₹5,000 Cap
DU candidates cap spending at ₹5,000 by rule, but fake handwritten posters printed for as little as ₹300 a bundle and SUV rallies show the real cost runs far higher.
How were fake handwritten posters actually made?
Local print shops scanned handwritten notes and mass-produced them, charging ~₹1,200 for 2,000 copies, with cheaper versions at ₹300 to ₹400 per 1,000 sheets, letting candidates fake the handmade-poster rule.
Why fake handwriting instead of normal printing?
Candidates disguised prints as handwritten notes because Lyngdoh rules ban printed material outright, so scanning handwriting into a printable file let shops mass-produce them cheaply at ₹1,200 for 2,000 copies while appearing compliant on paper.
What do genuine handmade posters look like?
Lyngdoh rules require genuine handmade posters put up only at notified campus locations, using materials students write and paste themselves rather than shop-printed copies, to keep costs low and reduce mass-produced visual clutter across colleges.
Where exactly were these posters displayed?
Newslaundry reported the pamphlets and posters plastered across Delhi University's North Campus during rallies, the same stretches where Defenders, Scorpios and Thars were driven despite vehicle canvassing being banned under the 2005 JM Lyngdoh Committee guidelines that the Supreme Court mandated for university elections.
Could the ₹5,000 cap ever be enforced?
The 2005 Lyngdoh Committee cap of ₹5,000 has gone unenforced for years, and now the Delhi High Court has agreed to hear a plea on the violations after Newslaundry's reporting exposed them.
Has the Lyngdoh cap ever held in past DU polls?
The Lyngdoh Committee's 2005 recommendations were mandated by the Supreme Court specifically for university elections after earlier polls saw similar money and muscle power, yet DUSU campaigns have repeatedly featured printed material and vehicles despite the ban.
What triggered the Delhi HC's Sept 17 hearing?
The Delhi High Court agreed on September 17 to hear a plea over widespread violations of Lyngdoh guidelines and anti-defacement rules, with the 2005 JM Lyngdoh Committee recommendations mandating a strict ₹5,000 campaign spending cap per candidate, putting the ongoing DUSU election under direct legal scrutiny.
Who enforces defacement liability on candidates?
Lyngdoh guidelines hold each candidate strictly liable for defacement of public property from their campaign material, with campaign spending capped at ₹5,000 per candidate sourced solely through voluntary student contributions, meaning fines or disqualification can follow regardless of who physically pasted the poster on a wall.
Who else gets hurt by these poll violations?
Students face food handouts, gifts and sponsored trips meant to buy votes, while campus-safety issues like the Satya Niketan PG collapse that killed seven got sidelined by SUV rallies and posters.
Did the Satya Niketan collapse shift student votes?
The collapse of a five-storey PG building in Satya Niketan earlier this month killed seven people, including students, pushing hostel accommodation and campus safety to the center of this year's DUSU campaign issues, which will determine the student union central panel for the 2026-27 academic session.
How did NEET leak protests feed into this election?
Student agitations in June and July over exam reforms and the NEET paper leak, led by groups like the Cockroach Janta Party, primed students to demand accountability, feeding into scrutiny of election malpractice too. The Lyngdoh Committee guidelines, mandated by the Supreme Court, strictly cap campaign spending at ₹5,000 per candidate sourced only through voluntary student contributions.
Why deploy 2,000+ police for a student union count?
More than 2,000 police and paramilitary personnel were deployed across Delhi University for the counting process because past DUSU elections have seen clashes tied to high campaign stakes and money power among rival student groups.
Source: livemint.com