Student elections are a stepping-stone in the journey of achieving student democracy. It can be seen as a symbol of students being involved in the democratic process of the country as well as a process of exacting change in the Students’ Association and in the entire university as a whole.
In some universities of India, student elections are a very important activity in the university. For example,
the election of DUSU (Delhi University Students’ Union) is very important and famous. Multiple candidates stand in the election to gather as much support as they can from the students. During the extensive election campaign of DUSU elections, there are certain things that are often dwelled upon by students, such as the importance of elections, and how they will help at ground zero.
Here are some of the points as to how student elections make us question everything:
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Table of Contents
Morning shows the day
The type of student leaders that we choose for ourselves right now, will form the government in the future. Therefore, it is imperative that we give great thought to who we choose as our leader. Famous leaders like Arun Jaitley had started their political journey as student leaders in their own respective colleges or universities. Therefore, it becomes extremely important that the students elect their representatives wisely, for they will be the face of tomorrow.
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The ideologies which the leaders represent
Candidature is very important in student elections, but the ideologies which these candidates have becomes all the more important. If a student votes for a particular candidate, naturally, he/she is supporting all that comes with the candidate. It’s like a package deal. Till the time the elected leader is in power, all those under him will have to follow his ideology. Therefore, ideologies play an important role.
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The changes that the candidates wish to bring about
The manifestos and the changes which the leaders propose to bring about also influence the decision of the voters. If the changes that a particular candidate is suggesting are not enough for the voters, then they will not vote for him/her. Therefore, being aware of the manifesto of the candidate is very important. While going through the manifesto of a candidate, one gets to see some very good points whereas some very uncalled for changes. This is where the questioning ability of a voter comes into play where you compare the manifestos of different candidates in order to make an informed decision.
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The course of action which candidates wish to take
Sometimes, candidates make promises that are nearly impossible to fulfill. These things look good on the manifesto sheet but are practically impossible to be realized in reality. Therefore, while going through the manifesto, the voters should also pay special attention to the course of action which the candidates propose to take. Some practical constraints are also there, such as budget, time, etc. If the voters do not think about these things beforehand, they might end up getting fooled at the end of the tenure.
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The reputation of the candidate in the university
The reputation that a candidate commands in the university speaks a lot about him/her. If a candidate is haughty and arrogant, it is very likely that the person will be apathetic towards the concerns of the other students. Whereas, a friendly candidate will of course be more considerate towards the concerns of other students. This seems to be a trivial thing but proves to be very useful in the long run. A friendly candidate will surely be more approachable and therefore, actually work towards the welfare of students by realizing their root-level problems.
Therefore, when the season of student elections comes about in any university, there are a lot of things that the students are forced to think about. The voters have to make an informed decision in order to ensure a smooth running of the student body.
