DUSU polls: Votes to be counted after Oct 21

New Delhi: The counting for the DUSU polls will be held only after October 21, when the Delhi High Court, which halted the process over defacement of public property by candidates, will hear the matter next, an election officer said on Friday.

Polling for the Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) elections was held on Friday with more than 1.45 lakh students casting their votes. The counting of votes was to be held on Saturday.

However, the Delhi High Court on Thursday stayed the counting of votes till public property defaced by posters, hoardings and graffiti is restored.

"This court directs that the elections process may proceed yet no counting of votes shall take place either on Delhi University (Students' Union) elections or on college elections till this court is satisfied that posters, hoardings, graffiti, spray paints are removed and public property is restored," the court had said.

Rajesh Singh, Returning Officer for DUSU elections, said the counting of votes will take place after the next court hearing.

"The court will now hear the matter on October 21. Only after that will we be able to decide when the counting will take place," he said.

"It is likely the counting will be done after the court's hearing," he said.

Singh further said, "We have removed 90 per cent of the hoardings, posters and banners which violated the regulations and the process of removing the rest is underway." The candidates have been directed to remove the banners, he said.

Earlier, the Delhi University administration had said that the EVMs (Electronic Voting Machines) would be kept in a strongroom under security surveillance until the court gives the go-ahead for the counting.

In its order, the high court said that officials of Delhi University and its colleges failed to appreciate the true import of the Lyngdoh Committee guidelines which prohibit defacement of public property and use of printed posters during student union elections.

The court also directed Delhi University to pay for the expenses incurred by the civic authorities, including the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), government departments and Delhi Metro, for restoring the public property and that the varsity would have the right to recover the amount from the candidates thereafter.