DUTA Elections: RSS-affiliated NDTF wins Delhi University Teachers' Association president post

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After almost 24 years, a candidate of the RSS-affiliated National Democratic Teachers' Front has been elected to the post of president of the Delhi University Teachers' Association. AK Bhagi defeated his nearest rival, Abha Dev Habib of the Left-affiliated Democratic Teachers' Front (DTF), by a margin of 1,382 votes.

The Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) elections were held on Friday and the results were declared on Saturday. The polls are conducted every two years.

While National Democratic Teachers' Front (NDTF) candidate Bhagi polled 3,584 votes, Habib received 2,202 votes. Prem Chand of the Congress-backed Academics for Action and Development (AAD) polled 832 votes while Shabana Azmi of the newly formed Adhoc Teachers' Front polled only 263 votes.

The DUTA president post was last won by the NDTF in 1997 and then Shri Ram Oberoi was its candidate, and after that, till this latest election, the post was either held by the DTF or the AAD. The DTF held the post for five terms.

In the 2019 elections, Bhagi, who then too was contesting for the post of president, had lost to Rajib Ray of the DTF by a slim margin.

Five NDTF candidates have been also elected to the 15-member DUTA Executive. The Aam Aadmi Party Teachers' wing Delhi Teachers' Association, which had fielded its president Hansraj Suman for the DUTA Executive, did not win.

According to NDTF general secretary VS Negi, "Teachers saw the good work done by us despite not being in power."

"The NDTF helped teachers in getting promotions and even Rajib Ray, the former DUTA president, and former DUTA treasurer and presidential candidate Habib also got promoted due to our efforts," he said."We will continue to work together with everyone. We will work towards absorption and regularisation of ad-hoc teachers and ensuring the release of salaries to the staffers of 12 Delhi University colleges fully funded by the city government," Negi said.

There were a total of 9,446 voters, and 7,194 votes were cast in the elections.

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