Jantar Mantar protest fuelled interest but money, muscle persist in DU politics: students

As students went to cast their votes on Friday, some said the large-scale protests at Jantar Mantar encouraged many to “raise their voices” and take an interest in student politics. However, pointing to thousands of pamphlets strewn on the roads and showing videos of male students harassing women, they said the DUSU elections remained largely a “money-muscle” game.

The elections are usually dominated by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and the National Students’ Union of India. This year, the Left joint panel of the All India Students’ Association and the Students’ Federation of India, along with the AAP’s Association of Students for Alternative Politics, hope to carry the Jantar Mantar momentum into the elections.