GE: Political Science

Women, Power and Politics

Representation of Women in DUSU Elections

WHAT STUDENTS THINK

Ishani Varma
Lady Shri Ram College for Women, Delhi University
Course: Journalism
Year: Second
Roll no: 784
Abstract
Political participation of women is considered a crucial indicator of status of women and their
level of empowerment. Women remain seriously underrepresented in several decision making
positions. Their minimal participation is not only limited to State level or National level
politics but also present in Delhi University Elections. The objective of this paper is to study
the history of Delhi University Students’ Union Elections and the representation of women in
it. The researcher aims to study different aspects of DUSU Elections and the causes of
marginalisation of women. It studies the culture of the elections which has only grown to
become more violent and chauvinistic. It aims to analyse the nature of campaigning, use of
muscle/money power and the significant impact of gender. In order to achieve the objectives
the researcher studies both primary (interviews and questionnaires) and secondary sources of
data (official reports of Delhi University). Many of the factors such as hooliganism, violence,
sexual harassment and tokenism make women apprehensive to be politically active in this
arena. The idea of university elections is essentially a remarkable opportunity to learn about
democratic practices and legacies. It aims to give the students a voice and an agency to decide
for themselves is what is at the core of student politics. Unfortunately, the aggressive and
intimidating culture of elections acts against the interest of its students.

Introduction

“For me, a better democracy is a democracy where women do not only have the right to
vote and to elect but to be elected.”
—Michelle Bachelet, head of UN Women, former president and defense minister of Chile

Political participation of women has several definitions. People often fail to realise that this
participation is not merely restricted to the right to vote but also power sharing, co-decision
making, co-policy making at all levels of governance. No doubt, one of the important political
activities of the people is exercising voting rights during elections; however, political
participation should not be confined to casting a vote. It entails a wide range of other activities
such as—membership of political party, electoral campaigning, attending party meetings,
demonstrations, communication with leaders, holding party positions, contesting elections,
membership in representative bodies, influencing decision making and other related activities.
Unfortunately, there are many communities who have been isolated from exercising these
activities - women being one of them. There are many years of social conditioning and
patriarchy which has led us to believe that positions of power can only be held by men1. The
impact of patriarchal structure can be seen during ancient, medieval and in the present era
also. Politics continue to remain a ‘male structure’ because it represents confrontation and
competition; characteristics which are often perceived masculine rather than feminine.
Empowerment of women needs to be understood in terms of- challenging the patriarchal
ideology, transformation of institutional structures of gender subordination, gaining access

1
Burrell, Barbara (2004). Women and political Participation: a reference handbook. Santa
Barbara (California): ABC-CLIO, Inc (pp 38)
and control over material and knowledge resources, gaining new skills, and success in
avoiding co-option and dilution of the empowerment process by pervasive patriarchal forces
with new ways of exercising power by becoming a political force.2
Empowerment should be a process aimed at changing the nature and direction of systemic
forces which marginalise women in a given context. It refers to a range of activities such as
individual self assertion to collective resistance, protest and mobilisation that challenge basic
power relations3. This argument is backed by Chandra who defines empowerment as both a
process as well as result of a process4. It is seen as being manifested in redistribution of power
that challenges patriarchal ideology through gain and control over informational resources.
Empowerment is seen as gaining control over self, over ideology and the resources that
control power. Thus acquiring control over formal power can be seen as an effective way to
control resources. Chandra puts forward how empowerment is a shared notion of power,
whereby people gain control over their lives by taking part with others in development of
activities and structure which allow increased involvement in activities that effect them.
Thus, empowerment is seen as getting access to formal structures of power through political
representation, firstly and then challenges and restructuring the power structure which
marginalize and oppress women. Political presence can be directly linked to empowerment.
Bringing women into decision making bodies will enable them to have ‘power over’ the
decisions which influence them. Empowerment should thus not include occupation of
position of power but also should challenge the structures of oppression. It should not only
be an exercise in enhancing representation but also should lead to an awareness which helps
in challenging the power structure.

Historical Perspective

The roots of the present always lie in the past. So, analysing the political participation of
women in DUSU Elections can be appropriately scrutinised by looking into the past history
of the Indian system. In order to shed some light on the women’s right of political
participation at college level, it is imperative that we study the history of political
subjugation of women at national level.
In India, women have had a long history of suffering and exploitation. Women remained
victims of violent actions and they had to suffer various types of discrimination, exploitation
and torture- both physical and mental not only in the man’s world but also within the four
walls of the family thereby disturbing the equilibrium in the society.

The status of women began to decline with the Smritis especially Manusmriti. There was a
tendency to curtail religious rights and privileges of women. Women came to be regarded in
the same lines as the Shudras. Their position continued to deteriorate as Sati became
common among the warrior classes. Women were strictly confined to the four walls of their

2
Singh, J.P. (2000). Indian Democracy and Empowerment of Women. The India Journal of
Public administration. XLVI(4). 617-630.
3
Srivastava, Rashmi (2000), Empowerment of Women Through Political Participation (pp 195-196)
4
Chandra, S. (2016). Empowering Women through Political Participation in India.
home5. Manusmriti clamped down the freedom of woman which could be found out in his
famous dictum such as;
“The woman does not deserve independence.”
Since a woman began to be considered an ‘abala’ (dependant), she was considered to be
protected by either her father, husband or son throughout her life. According to Manu-
“..........A women must be her father’s shadow in childhood, her husband’s in her Youth and
her son’s in her old age.”

The demand for political representation of women in India began much before
independence. The first demands for political representation and suffrage in India were
raised in 1917 by a delegation led by Sarojini Naidu and Margaret Cousins. On the other
hand, National Planning Committee Report on Woman’s Role in Planned Economy (1947)
stated the need for civil rights like the right to franchise, freedom of association, work
property, health and leisure. It noted that while the number of female was high, the number
of representatives was very few. This was true for every political party. This not only
represented a lack of political aspiration among women, but also indifference on part of the
parties themselves. Thus, women were mobilised neither by political parties nor by
organisations. As a result, meagre attention was given to women's issues, and the plight of
rural women remained neglected.

It can be said that the campaign for equal political participation in favour of women was itself
divided into two phases. The first phase was regarding achieving female enfranchisement and
being eligible for entering into the legislature during the period of 1917 to 1928. From 1928
to 1937, there was a second phase in which the issues were the liberalisation of the terms of
equality rights of voting for women and also the enlargement of their representation in the
legislature6. In India, the context of colonial situation created two sets of political authorities
before whom the women had to make an appeal—the British Government and the Nationalist
Leaders in order to achieve their electoral demands.

Through consistent efforts and movements, the right to vote was granted by the Government
of India Act, 1935 for all women above 21 years of age by whom the conditions of property
and education were fulfilled. In the year 1950, the Constitution of India granted adult
franchise to all its citizens. As for representation of women, it provided for reservation of 41
seats for women at provincial level and limited reservation at central level.In the late 20th
century, one third reservation for women on rotation basis was introduced in local bodies after
the enactment of 73rd Amendment Act, 1992 7. This resulted in bringing millions of women
into the political field for the first time. Provisions for representation of women from
marginalised communities like Schedule Castes, Schedule Tribes and Backward Classes
enabled representation of women in local bodies. Many states have enhanced the reservation

5
Kasturi, L. (1996). Development, Patriarchy, and Politics: Indian Women in the Political
Process (pp 98-100)
6
Burrell, Barbara (2004). Women and Political Participation (pp 32-35)
7
Hust, E. (2005). Women’s Political Representation and Empowerment in India — A
Million Indiras Now? (pp 55-59)
to 50% to ensure greater representation of women. Seats are also reserved for women in the
post of Sarpanch or Chairperson to ensure that women hold decision-making power.

However, while reservation has led to increase in representation of women at grass root level,
its effect has not spilled to the State Assembly and Parliament where there is no such
provision. The Women's Reservation Bill proposed to amend the Constitution of India to
reserve 33% of all seats in the Lower house of Parliament of India, the Lok Sabha, and in all
state legislative assemblies for women. Rajya Sabha passed the bill on 9 March
2010.However, the Lok Sabha never voted on the bill. The bill lapsed after the dissolution of
the 15th Lok Sabha in 2014.8

Role of Gender in Politics

Gender shapes power relations at all levels of society. In fact, the set of roles, behaviours and
attitudes that societies define as appropriate for men and women (‘gender’) may well be the
most persistent cause, consequence and mechanism of power relations from the intimate
sphere of the household to the highest levels of political decision-making. Feminist literatures
highlight these links and can therefore significantly enhance our understanding of both power
and gender. These works use the concept ‘gender’ in different ways, each of which opens up
a different perspective on power.

Gender roles are power relations. Gender is not only a cause but also a consequence,
instrument and embodiment of power-over relations. It is a key mechanism through which
power not only constrains but constitutes individuals and is perhaps the most persistent form
of ‘invisible power’ in our world. “This can be seen by problematising the ways in which
societies define appropriate masculine and feminine behaviour. In many contexts, what it
means to be a woman is to be powerless; it is considered ‘feminine’ to be quiet,
accommodating, and obedient. By contrast it is considered ‘manly’ to exercise power-over,
that is, to get others to do what you want them to do. In this way, “women/men is a distinction
not just of difference, but of power and powerlessness…Power/powerlessness is the sex
difference.”9

The private sphere is an arena of power and politics. Mainstream scholars tend to view the
family and household as removed from ‘public’ concerns of power and politics – and thus
irrelevant to their debates. Feminist scholars have revealed that this public/private divide leads
to significant blindspots in our understanding of power. Unlike men’s power over other men,
men’s power over women has often been accomplished “in intimate contexts, as everyday
life.” These power struggles in the ‘private’ sphere often interact with ‘public’ power
dynamics.

Wider structures and institutions shape the distribution of power by reinforcing and relying
on gender roles. Scholars have gained further insights into power by analyzing gender as a

8
Rai, S. (1999). Democratic Institutions, Political Representation and Women’s Empowerment: The Quota
Debate in India. (pp 67-70)
9
Kasturi, L. (1996). Development, Patriarchy, and Politics: Indian Women in the Political
Process (pp 36)
characteristic of wider social structures and institutions. These were often built by privileged
men for privileged men. As a result they are often tailored to men’s life experiences, rely on
unequal power relations between men and women, and idealize characteristics associated with
masculine behaviour. As a result, wider structures and formal and informal institutions can in
diverse ways perpetuate both men’s power over women and the dominance of those men who
conform with masculine ideals over others.

Our understandings of power may themselves be the result of men’s power over women. This
is because power has been conceptualised by and hence from the perspective of privileged
men. Feminist scholars have argued that our concepts are therefore derived from a masculine
life experience “conceived as (and fact) inhabited by a number of fundamentally hostile
others whom one comes to know by means of opposition (even death struggle) and yet with
whom one must construct a social relation in order to survive.” This leads to the concept of
power as power-over.10

We may be neglecting women’s specific forms and sources of power. Some feminist scholars
suggest that women’s roles as carers and mothers lead in an opposite direction from the hostile
world of masculine experience. Rather than in opposition, women construct themselves in
relation and continuity to others. Rather than to dominate, the purpose of women’s activity is
often to build capacity in others. This suggests an alternative conception of power as a specific
kind of power-to: the capacity to transform and empower oneself and others. While this
concept may risk homogenising and essentializing women it can shed light on forces for
change that may otherwise be neglected.

The Delhi University Students’ Union Elections

The Delhi University Students Union, generally abbreviated as DUSU, is the umbrella
students’ union at the University of Delhi. DUSU acts as a representative body of students
from most Delhi University colleges. Each college also has its own students' union which
holds elections every year.
The Delhi University Students Union comprises four office bearers:
1. President. 2. Vice-President. 3.Secretary. 4. Joint Secretary
The Delhi University Student Union Constitution states the objectives of the union which are
to be fulfilled by the office bearers during their tenure:
(i) To promote mutual contact, a democratic outlook and a spirit of oneness among the
students of the University of Delhi.
(ii) To promote the social, cultural and intellectual development of the students of the
University of Delhi.

10
Kasturi, L. (1996). Development, Patriarchy, and Politics: Indian Women in the Political
Process (pp 45)
(iii)To promote consciousness among the students of the University of Delhi of the events
taking place around them with a view to better equipping them as responsible and
educated citizens and to build up a healthy students movement.
(iv) To promote among the students of the University of Delhi a sense of service to the people
and duty towards the State. 11
The official year of the Union is from 16th of August of every year to the 15th of August, of
the following year. The election of the office-bearer should be completed at the latest by the
16th of August each year. The month of August is one of the busiest months in the Delhi
University Campus as parties start campaigning and drafting their manifestos. Every year the
University of Delhi releases the rules and guidelines for campaigning in order to avoid
violence or ruckus in colleges. The DUSU Election has often been criticised for being a
money-driven, testosterone-heavy exercise built upon the foundations of unapologetic
casteism and unmistakable gender bias.
Many students are of the view that instead of focusing on relevant matters or urgent issues,
the political campaign ends up becoming a symbol of hooliganism, violence and corruption.
The Lyngdoh Committee was set up by the Ministry of Human Resource Development in
2006, under the directive of the Supreme Court of India, and its purpose was to reform
students’ union elections, weeding out money and muscle power from student politics.
Display of money and muscle power has taken over the elections to such an extent that in
order to increase their vote bank, students in Delhi University are lured through free movie
tickets, food, clothes by the contesting parties. The Lyngodh Committee, in order to curb
these practices has set the campaigning budget as- Rs. 5000. This guideline is often violated
by the contesting parties. The Committee has largely been denounced by student unions due
to its restrictive nature. It is seen to be limiting the democratic functioning of student unions.
Students are generally the sole authority for conducting student elections and the Lyngdoh
Committee has been criticised for allowing intrusion of university authorities in the process.
The voter turn out for DUSU Elections is in the range of 40%-45% (approx) every year. The
voting is done through Electronic Voting Machines and students are required to carry their
identity cards.12
Winning in the Delhi University Students’ Union election is not merely securing an influential
post in the University Union but it is a veritable springboard to Politics. Many candidates who
contest for the post of President continue to pursue a career in National/State Level Politics.
Some famous examples would be Arun Jaitley, Finance Minister of India- President (1974-
75) , Vijay Goel, BJP MP- President (1977-78) 13

Representation of Women in DUSU Politics

11
Chapter 1, Aims and Objectives, Delhi University Students’ Union Constitution
12
Interview of member of DUSU Executive Committee on 11.03.2019, North Campus
13
Interview of member of DUSU Executive Committee on 11.03.2019, North Campus
The two major leading parties in the DUSU Elections are- Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi
Parishad (ABVP), a right wing all India student organisation affiliated to the Hindu
nationalist Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and The National Students' Union of
India (NSUI), a student wing of the Indian National Congress.

Every year, the manifestos released by the parties consists of various issues and measures
which the party promises to take up if it comes to power. In recent times, when the feminism
wave is at an all time high, ABVP’s and NSUI’s manifestos aimed at keeping their manifestos
women-centric. ABVP’s manifesto promised that over 50 per cent of the union's budget will
be spent on women and social justice related activities, along with a special attention to
promoting sports and installing sanitary pad vending machines on college campuses. NSUI’s
manifesto focused majorly on ensuring safety for women by taking steps such as installing
street lights in deserted areas of campus.

Between 2011 and 2017, out of the twenty-four candidates that became a part of the DUSU
panel, only five were women. The role of women in the last six years has been limited to the
positions of General Secretary and Joint Secretary, with ABVP’s Priyanka Chhawri (Vice
President) being the only exception. It is strange perhaps to find out that women were not
always relegated to the role of a token in DUSU politics. In fact between 2001 and 2010
women won twelve seats in DUSU overall with five of them being President and two being
Vice President. Where there should have been an improvement in the position of women,
there has been a decline.

While both the parties aim towards the empowerment of women in Delhi University, no active
steps are being taken by them for ensuring more political representation of women.
The following study of the history of Delhi University Students Union Politics aims to study
the causes of subordination of women in this field.

____________________________________________________________________________

Objectives of the Study

The aim of the present study is to investigate the political history as well as the present
scenario of women representation in DUSU Politics. The study focuses on -
(a) Evaluating the results of DUSU Elections since 2010
(b) Understanding the causes which has lead to the significant reduction of political
participation of women
(c) Suggesting measures for establishment of a supporting platform for women by building
alliances so that they achieve higher level of representation and a powerful voice in shaping
the DUSU politics.

Methodology
The researcher has used Qualitative Methods of Research (Phenomenological) for conducting
the study. The present work depends heavily on interviews of members from ABVP, NSUI,
politically active students of Students Welfare Ass. & officials of DUSU Executive
Committee. The researcher evaluates the issue through a questionnaire based on the nature of
DUSU politics (filled by students from politically active colleges) as well as official reports
by Delhi University on DUSU Elections.

Political History of DUSU

Official reports of Delhi University show that the post of President is continuously being
held by male students since the past 9 years.

CANDIDATE NAME PARTY YEAR

JITENDER CHOUDHARY ABVP 2010-2011

AJAY CHHIKARA NSUI 2011-2012

ARUN HOODA NSUI 2012-2013

AMAN AWANA ABVP 2013-2014

MOHIT NAGAR ABVP 2014-2015

SATENDAR AWANA ABVP 2015-2016

AMIT TANWAR ABVP 2016-2017

ROCKY TUSEED (Dismissed) NSUI 2017-2018

SHAKTI SINGH ABVP 2018-2019

It is not only the political representation of women which has significantly reduced but even
the right to vote in the DUSU Elections is not practiced by many. Of the 22 women’s colleges
in Delhi University, only five colleges participate in DUSU elections. These include Aditi
Mahavidyalaya, Lakshmibai College, Bhagini Nivedita College, Miranda House and SP
Mukherji College for Women. This means that a little less than 80 percent of DU’s
women students don’t cast their vote. 14

HOOLIGANISM
The election culture of Delhi University is known for it’s widespread violence, aggressive
campaigning and cut-throat political rivalry. The responses from the questionnaire, filled by
several students from politically active colleges of North Campus and South Campus reveal
the same.

14
Interview of member of EC on 11.03.2019, Law Faculty Centre
The campaigning of the parties start with vandalising public places with posters, flyers and
pamphlets. On every election, tonnes of paper is wasted for canvassing by candidates and
their supporters. Wherein, there is no accountability for usage of paper and neither is there
any norm or procedure for recycling of this wastepaper.
The Gol Gumbad (monument) near Nizamuddin, walls of the Moolchand flyover, graffiti-
covered walls and signboards at North Campus are all places that have been vandalised by
DUSU election campaigners. Despite the guidelines issued by the Lyngdoh Committee and
Delhi University rules that prevent candidates from littering and vandalising public spaces,
the university campuses and places around Delhi are covered in promotional
graffiti.Interestingly, almost all the posters misspell the candidates’ name with extra ‘A’s or
‘I’s as it allows them to officially distance themselves from defacing of the campus, while
still familiarising themselves to students. 15

Majority of the respondents stated that violence is a common thing in the University now, and
that they feel scared to go anywhere near a support group. According to the DUSU Election
guidelines, in order to campaign inside a college, only four ‘bonafide’ students can
accompany a candidate. However, in the DUSU elections of 2018, at least 50-100 members
of Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad (ABVP) ran amok on the premises of Delhi
University's Zakir Hussain College, wielding sticks and raising slogans, and breaking flowers-
pots and furniture, allegedly because they were denied entry by the college security guard for
the election campaign inside the campus. 16

Some respondents stated how the parties have no agendas. Both NSUI and ABVP enter
colleges with slogans like ‘Vande Mataram’ and ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’, disrupt classes and ask
people to vote for their candidates without talking about any issues they wish to work towards.
Many of the respondents expressed the need for focusing on issues such as provision of
affordable hostel accommodation, a more accessible ICC etc rather than identity politics and
nationalist jingoism.

Throughout the election season, candidates bring out luxury cars and take rounds in the
campus in order to establish a connection with student voters. A respondent from Hindu
College expressed how even the slogans of several parties-“Fortuner mein ravaana, Satendar
Awana” (Satendar Awana departs in Fortuner) depict muscle and money power.
Bribery is another evil which is a very common part of campaigning during the elections.
Many respondents stated how even bribery varies in levels. A student from Miranda House
mentioned how free kajal and lip balms are distributed in girls’ colleges and PGs in the
beginning of the election season. As the voting day comes closer, the level of bribery
increases, often leading to free flow of alcohol and drugs on campus.

Most students of DU want to raise their voice against the culture of impunity that has grown
over the past years. A respondent from Kirori Mal College mentioned how a student contested
from his college as an independent candidate and was thoroughly beaten up. He further
expresses the extent of hooliganism by mentioning how different presidential candidates of
the past have been alleged for ‘attempt to murder’, providing incorrect information in
nomination forms etc.The students are saddened by the fact that the University who gave
India a leader like Arun Jaitley is growing wary of its own political machinery.

15
Questionnaire respondent, 3rd year, Miranda House
16
Interview of 2nd year student, Hindu College on 11.03.2019, Hindu College New Delhi
CATCALLING

Recently DUSU made the headlines when another incident of incorrigible behaviour by
young members of ABVP (Akhil Bharatiya Vidhyarthi Parishad) was reported. The members
of the party allegedly thrashed and harassed Kawal Preet Kaur, president of AISA (All India
Student’s Association) at a panel discussion ‘Sexual Harassment in Digital Space ‘ at
Satyawati College.
Kaur had been invited to speak about her own experiences of being harassed online, at the
event organised by She The People and Google. However, student union members, some of
whom are affiliated with the ABVP, disrupted the event midway, protesting Kaur's inclusion.
A similar incident took place last year in August 2017. She had filed a complaint with the
police at that time as well. As per reports, Kaur had said she was visiting the college to meet
a professor and fellow activists when she was accosted by the ABVP members, who touched
her inappropriately and demanded to see her ID card.17

The researcher notes that many of the female students during election season prefer staying
in their hostels or going home early.
A third year student at IP College, states how she has faced eve-teasing during the election
seasons. In the evening, when she used to return to her PG from tuitions at Nirankari Colony,
cars filled with men would pass remarks. Out of fear she changed the timing for her tuitions.
A student from Miranda House says that this sort of eve-teasing is a common sight during
elections. The men pass lewd comments, often forcing them to read the pamphlets they are
distributing and the only solution is to ignore them.
She further expresses her concern of the growing cases of assault by stating how
not even one DU student stands and chants the campaign slogans.The ones who do are all
hired especially for the election. These campaigners do not go through a screening process
such as background checks and are free to roam around the campus inflicting violence.

During large-scale marches with hundreds of party workers shouting slogans and their
candidate’s names, one is hardly able to notice the undue advantage taken of such crowded
places to inappropriately touch or speak to women. Furthermore, one also experiences a gross
invasion of personal space when approached by people distributing cards, pamphlets, etc. A
second-year student of KMC, explains how there is violation of privacy and consent when
members of political parties come to shake her hand without bothering to ask whether she
wants to do the same or not.

A third-year student who has formerly held a union position and is currently an active
supporter and campaigner of a particular party, wrote that during campaigning, they come
with the aim of grabbing attention. They arrive at a college with their masses, and that crowd
then becomes faceless. Many people in that crowd might also be totally new to the college
space. He states that elections are entirely unregulated in terms of crowd management, code

17
Interview of member of DUSU Executive Committee on 11.03.2019, Law Faculty Centre, New Delhi
(validated by several known news agencies)
of conduct, etc and thus, makes sexual harassment pass as something that is inevitable. Many
people prey on female freshers by giving fake assurances, and take undue advantage of them
later.

The idea of university elections is essentially a remarkable opportunity to learn about

democratic practices and legacies. It aims to give the students a voice and an agency to decide
for themselves is what is at the core of student politics. But the aggressive and intimidating
culture that has taken the shape of sexual harassment across Delhi University acts against the
interest of students, and nearly all the women in these colleges have to bear the brunt of it.

TOKENISM

Table 1 reveals how since the past 9 years of DUSU politics, male students have consistently
grabbed the position of President. Though women have been given political representation, it
has only been confined to posts of Secretary and Joint Secretary with an exception in 2016-
17.

CANDIDATE NAME PARTY POST YEAR

- - NIL 2011-2012

RAVEENA NSUI SECRETARY 2012-2013

CHOUDHARY
KARISHMA THAKUR NSUI SECRETARY 2013-2014

KANIKA SHEKHAWAT ABVP SECRETARY 2014-2015

ANJALI RANA ABVP SECRETARY 2015-2016

PRIYANKA CHHAWRI ABVP VICE PRESIDENT 2016-2017

MAHAMEDA NAGAR ABVP SECRETARY 2017-2018

JYOTI CHOUDHARY ABVP JOINT SECRETARY 2018-2019

While many would derive joy from the above results as it signifies the increasing political
participation of women, what they often fail to notice is that many parties use female
candidates to present themselves as gender neutral. They want the students to believe that all
voices are heard in their body and equal representation is given to all candidates irrespective
of their gender.18

An official from the DUSU Executive Committee who did not wish to be named, said that
deep rooted sexism always prevails with the union, female candidates have a special “niche”
role outlined for them and that they maybe ejected if they do not adhere to them.

18
Interview of 2nd year students at Hindu College on 11.03.2019
A respondent from Motilal Nehru College raises doubt over how genuine the representation
of women is. He mentions how during the campaigning of election, it is majorly male students
who are seen undertaking aggressive promotional activities. The parties prefer women staying
out of the campaigning process as they feel they don’t have the ability to mobilise students.
They are merely kept as a ‘token’ for portraying an image of so called gender equality. He
further expresses concern over how since the past 9 years, not one female candidate has
secured the post of President.

Another factor which plays a significant role in the restricted representation of women as
perceived by the respondents and interviewees is the “Glamour Factor”. Many students stated
how the role of female candidates is only confined to ‘smiling and waving’ during the
campaigns.
A student from Kirori Mal who covered the DUSU elections 2018 said that many a times
female candidates are sent to parlours before their campaign begins. There have been several
incidents where the glamour quotient has helped the parties secure seats in the DUSU.

A second year student of Miranda House who has covered several DUSU elections stated
how contesting female candidates have often defended the party by refuting such allegations.
They believe that it is not the ‘glamour’ but the ‘agenda’ which is given more importance.
However, the nature of DUSU politics is such that the agenda has never been on the top of
the priority list. The campaigning mainly revolves around chanting slogans and distributing
pamphlets in excess. Thus the claim of importance of agenda is questionable.

A student from Hindu College believes that while many parties take steps towards increasing
gender sensitisation and equality on campus, students often raise doubts behind the motives
of such steps. Actions speak louder than words and thus it is time for DUSU candidates to
take active steps towards practicing gender equality rather than preaching about it, take
stringent measures to ensure safety of women in campus and put an end to sexual assaults
during election season.

FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS

The student representative body of Delhi University (DUSU) is committed to the welfare and
development of students. Delhi University releases guidelines every year to ensure a proper
code of conduct of the contesting parties during the election season. However, time and again,
these guidelines have been violated. The election culture in DU is very hyper-masculine
and laced with violence. Right from inflicting physical violence upon candidates of other
organisations, especially those with limited means and resources, to sending threats of
physical harm and abduction as means of pressurising potential candidates to withdraw
nominations, to slandering and slut-shaming, everything takes place here to discourage people
from opposition.

It is during this time that our gender roles come into play. The culture of DUSU stands on
violence, manipulation, mobilization, muscle power and slandering- often considered
‘masculine’ or associated with socially accepted ‘male characteristics’.
The frequent cases of violence not only isolates women from the election process but also
other deserving candidates who want urgent issues to be the focus of elections. In the name
of protecting women from violence, they are kept completely outside the political
environment. This is often described as benevolent sexism. It represents evaluations of gender
that may appear subjectively positive (subjective to the person who is evaluating), but are
actually damaging to people and gender equality more broadly.

Women are socially conditioned to be more soft spoken, cooperative, empathetic- all these
qualities are of no value when campaigning for DUSU. The rise in sexual harassment is
another factor which makes woman maintain a distance from dirty politics.

The mechanism provided by the University Grants Commission to deal with sexual
harassment cases is the Internal Complaints Committee set up in every college. This
committee holds enquiries of sexual harassment and decides on their appropriate punishment.
Dr Vinita Chandra, ICC chairperson of Ramjas College, talks about the complaints she
receives. “So far this year, I have received one formal complaint of sexual harassment relating
to elections. But I get a lot of informal complaints as well. During this time, because there is
so much liberty to behave in any manner that you want, from crowding the corridors and
gates, to shouting names and slogans at full volume, it creates an atmosphere of sexual
intimidation. And because of the increasing intensity of this atmosphere of fear, lesser and
lesser people are willing to speak up against it. With the violence and attacks that have been
unleashed on students in recent years, it actually becomes easier for the perpetrators to
blatantly touch or jostle people.”

The only outcome of this rise would be a decreased political aspiration among women as they
would never feel comfortable in a space where there is a danger to their safety.

Tokenism is another issue which is yet to be discussed in public spheres. What differentiates
Tokenism from other factors such as Violence and Sexual Harassment is that there will never
be quantifiable data or evidence to prove that parties often appoint women candidates in an
attempt to appear non sexist. It is merely a speculation. However, the fact that since the past
nine years the post of President has only been held by male students casts serious doubts on
the functioning of DUSU Politics.

The analysis of several factors has helped in finding out some of the causes which has led to
the poor/less influential role of women in the Delhi University elections. The fight against
these factors is only a small part of the issues in modern feminism- years of regressive social
conditioning, lack of strong role models in political arena and the impact of rigid gender roles.

CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

Official reports, data from interviews and respondents show that the political participation of
women is not as active as it should be. The deficiencies of DUSU Elections are recognised
by all, yet active measures to curtail these practices are not being undertaken. In order to make
the Students’ Union a safer space for women, following are some of the suggestions:
(1) To enforce stringent measures of the The Lyngdoh Committee and penalise parties for not
adhering to them.

(2) Place increased importance on the agenda of the party. Instead of chanting slogans,
the parties should only be allowed to discuss their agendas with students. This would
make the campaigning more fruitful and reduce the scope of violence.

(3) Media is one of the most powerful tools of expression and change in this generation.
If this issue is addressed in more college magazines, social media articles,
documentaries etc, it would have a widespread reach and thus, the issue will come in
limelight.

(4) To enforce stringent ceiling of funding expenses incurred for election campaigns. This
should be done because many parties hire hundreds of people to campaign for the
candidates. This leads to an increase in sexual harassment cases as no background
check is done on these students. They also have access to entry in many colleges.

(5) Due to a poor voter turnout, many parties only aim at mobilising a certain section of
students or their existing personal contacts. All women organizations should come on
a common platform with a single target of pressing the political parties to put an end
to gender discrimination. If these organisations mobilise even more college students,
and aim to vote against the leading parties, they have the power to change the results
of the elections.

(6) Moreover, classroom discussions have a significant impact on the minds of students.
The discussion of this issue should not only be confined to social media platforms but
should be encouraged in classrooms as well.
“To be liberated, woman must feel free to be herself, not in rivalry to man but in the context
of her own capacity and her personality.”
Indira Gandhi

__________________________________________________________________________

REFERENCES

1. Burrell, Barbara (2004). Women and political Participation: a reference handbook. Santa
Barbara (California): ABC-CLIO, Inc

2. Singh, J.P. (2000). Indian Democracy and Empowerment of Women. The India Journal of
Public administration. XLVI(4)

3. Srivastava, Rashmi (2000), Empowerment of Women Through Political Participation

4. Chandra, S. (2016). Empowering Women through Political Participation in India.

5. Hust, E. (2005). Women’s Political Representation and Empowerment in India — A Million

Indiras Now?

6. Rai, S. (1999). Democratic Institutions, Political Representation and Women’s Empowerment:

The Quota Debate in India.

7. Chapter 1-5, Delhi University Students’ Union Constitution

8. List of Candidates, Delhi University Official Website

http://www.du.ac.in/du/index.php?page=dusu

9 .Report Of The Committee To Frame Guidelines On Students' Union Elections In

Colleges/Universities (Lyngdoh Committee Report), Ministry of Human Resources Development,
Government of India

https://mhrd.gov.in/report-committee-frame-guidelines-students-union-elections-
collegesuniversities-lyngdoh-committee