New Delhi: This year, Delhi University‘s election season may miss one of its most familiar spectacles — the long convoys of Porsche, Rolls-Royce, Mercedes and BMWs that have come to define the pomp of DUSU polls. The university is planning to bar the use of private vehicles for campaigning during the union elections, official sources told TOI.The proposed curb, being considered by the university administration, aims at reining in the annual chaos that sees college campuses clogged with luxury cars, campaign convoys and traffic snarls during the election season, often leaving students and commuters stranded for hours.“We are planning to prohibit the use of vehicles for campaigning during the DUSU election period. Every year, a large number of cars enter campuses for canvassing, causing inconvenience to students, traffic congestion and disruption of normal academic activity. The idea is to ensure elections are conducted in a more disciplined and orderly manner,” the source said.The move is part of DU’s wider effort to bring the polls in line with Supreme Court‘s directions to introduce reforms aimed at curbing excessive expenditure, campus disruption and public inconvenience.The university had faced repeated judicial scrutiny over the conduct of DUSU elections, particularly over defacement of public property, excessive spending and disorder on campus. In 2024, Supreme Court had pulled up DU over large-scale defacement and withheld the declaration of results until the defacement was cleared. It had also directed DU to put in place stricter safeguards to ensure elections do not disrupt academic activity or violate the Lyngdoh Committee norms that govern elections in the universities across the country.“Last year, the restrictions on printed campaign material and victory processions helped control defacement to a large extent. This year, we want to take it a step further so that elections are held fully in accordance with the prescribed norms and without causing inconvenience on campus,” the source said. The administration believes restricting campaign vehicles could curb traffic congestion, show of wealth and the use of money power in student politics.The DUSU elections, among the most high-profile campus polls in the country, have long drawn criticism for its display of muscle and money power, with luxury car rallies, large convoys and aggressive canvassing being a recurring feature. The university has in recent years explored broader structural reforms, including a Rs 1-lakh anti-defacement surety bond for candidates and even a proposal to replace the direct election model with a two-tier system.Under the two-tier structure, first discussed in DU’s executive council last year, colleges and departments would hold internal student polls and elected representatives would form an electoral college to choose central DUSU office-bearers. The proposal, modelled on DU’s pre-Emergency system, was sent for legal consultation and reported before the council. However, it faced resistance from student groups and teachers in the council, and discussions remain deferred.DUSU elections are usually held in Sept, with campaigning kicking off after the poll schedule is announced in Aug.
