University of Delhi. (File Photo | Express)
NEW DELHI: Ahead of the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) polls, campus politics is getting an unmistakable Gen Z makeover. Even before the student organisations released their manifestos, students across DU are using reels, memes, and viral videos to set the political narrative, often with sarcasm aimed at both student bodies and the varsity administration.
From hostel shortages and fest budgets to water, garbage and infrastructure, long-standing campus grievances are being turned into social-media content. In a sense, students appear to be doing the “homework” for political outfits by putting their questions on the table before the campaign season fully begins.
A group of students sitting in one of the colleges has gone viral for their jamming session. A page called ‘Unfiltered Kartikeyaa’ had uploaded it. The song was “Jab jab mein college aaun, paani na mile… jab aaya garmi ka mausam, AC na chale… College badal ja zara…”
The All India Students’ Association (AISA) has already tapped into the mood with a poster declaring, “Gen Z is rising”, while calling students for a protest on September 2 over the issues. At the beginning of the academic session, the organisation had also distributed posters reading, “Welcome to DU, cockroaches”, taking a dig at campus conditions.
The National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), too, has brought the Gen Z language into its campaign material, with a poster featuring its leader and the slogan “Gen Z with Veer Chatrath”.
The campaign imagery has also taken an unusual turn. After a man dressed in a black gorilla costume went viral during a protest at Jantar Mantar, similar costumes were spotted on the DU campus last week during a rally organised by a student body.
Students unaffiliated with politics are also entering the conversation. In one video, a student said voters had repeatedly chosen leaders who “disappear” after coming to power. Instead of voting on the basis of a leader’s name or surname, students should ask which organisation would actually stand with them, he said.
Another student, Shivain Baraji, questioned the transactional nature of campus politics. “If you tell a leader that you support another organisation, they may not even help you. They are concerned about their own politics. So, this time, students should question them about what they can actually do for them,” he said.
QR codes on posters are allowing students to join organisations directly through their phones. One of the longest-running promises, metro pass concessions, has also become meme material. One viral post says, “I was in first year when they used to promise metro pass concessions. I’m in my fourth year now.”
The handwritten-poster era is giving way to typed messages displayed on phones and laptops. Students are making videos urging voters to ask candidates what happened to the promises made in the previous year’s manifestos and how many were delivered.
The rallies have also moved beyond the campus gates. With strict checking expected to limit the entry of luxury cars, campaigners are taking their displays to Delhi’s roads. Convoys featuring cars such as Rolls-Royces and Bentleys, with candidates’ names prominently displayed, have become a talking point online. Students are calling these sprawling roadshows “rooftop campaigns”.