Polling for the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections began on Thursday, September 18, marking the culmination of a campaign season radically transformed by artificial intelligence.
In a stark departure from tradition, the walls of North Campus remain largely clear of posters, replaced by a digital blitz featuring AI-generated endorsements from global celebrities.
The shift follows a stringent Delhi High Court order last year that cracked down on the defacement of public property. The court had stayed the vote count until campaign graffiti was cleaned, delaying results by over a month.
A new campaign playbook
Leading the technological charge is the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). Its social media feeds are now filled with videos featuring deepfake avatars of international figures praising its candidates.
One video on the DUSU Instagram page features a convincing AI-generated Donald Trump. Standing before a depiction of the White House, the avatar declares, “Ladies and gentlemen, this is your cheetah… Kunal Chaudhary, very tough, very smart… Believe me, nobody can do it better.” Chaudhary is the ABVP’s candidate for secretary.
In another clip, an AI version of Elon Musk, flanked by a rocket, pitches Chaudhary’s ballot number. “Ballot number three… is the only launchpad for DUSU’s future,” he says.
The ABVP’s presidential candidate, Aryan Maan, is promoted by an avatar mimicking Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, who calls him the “ummeeidvaar” (candidate) for the top post.
A centralised digital strategy
ABVP’s national general secretary, Virendra Singh Solanki, was cited by the The Indian Express as confirming that a dedicated, centralised team is behind the content. “We have a centralised team of over 60 students from colleges across Delhi who are using various AI tools to generate such videos for our social media campaigning,” he said.
Solanki explained the strategy targets new students. “Our main audience is first-year students and these are made to draw their attention. Instagram is the main platform where such videos gain attention,” he was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.
NSUI opts out
In contrast, the campaign of the National Students’ Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Congress party, has abstained from using AI avatars. A review of its official Instagram feed showed a complete absence of such digitally altered endorsements, highlighting a clear divergence in campaign tactics between the rival groups.
Polling and results
Voting for the DUSU elections began today, September 18. The counting of votes is scheduled to take place on Friday, September 19.
The election outcome will determine the composition of the student union after a fractured mandate last year. In the 2024 polls, NSUI’s Ronak Khatri was elected president and Lokesh Choudhary joint secretary, while ABVP’s Mitravinda Karanwal and Bhanu Pratap Singh won the posts of secretary and vice-president respectively.
This year’s digitally-dominated campaign marks a new chapter in campus politics, moving the battle for votes from physical walls to the smartphone screens of thousands of students.
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