Delhi University (DU) has, over the past week, seen a spurt of “awareness” events, including seminars, talks, and youth parliaments, on ‘One Nation, One Election: the Pathway to Viksit Bharat, 2047’.

The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Amendment) Bill, 2024, which seeks to empower the Election Commission of India to conduct simultaneous elections for Lok Sabha and all State Assemblies, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 17, 2024. A Joint Parliamentary Committee headed by BJP MP P.P. Chaudhary is reviewing it.

‘Nationalist think tank’

A lecture was delivered on the subject by Anirban Ganguly, a national executive member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and director of Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Research Foundation (SPMRF), at Shyam Lal College on March 19. The event was organised by the SPMRF, which describes itself as ‘a nationalist think tank’.

On Monday, the National Service Scheme (NSS), which comes under the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, held one such event at Aryabhatta College. A similar programme is scheduled at Sri Aurobindo College on Tuesday.

Narendra Bishnoi, a programme coordinator of NSS’s DU unit, said the events were not politically motivated. “The programmes have been organised as part of our annual seven-day camp. We have a youth parliament every year, and students from various colleges participate in it.”

Additionally, several small-scale talks are being conducted by a student outfit, Samvidhan Support Group (SSG). One of the SSG speakers, Sagar Tanwar, said, “We are spreading awareness on the theme and making it easier for people to understand it.” Mr. Tanwar is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, the BJP’s youth wing.

The group has called for a march to the Parliament in support of simultaneous polls on Thursday.

‘Purely academic’

A DU professor, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said, “We have been asked to conduct the programme in our college, with speakers from outside. There is nothing wrong with discussions and debates. However, the talks are being delivered by people associated with the BJP and its ancillaries.”

When reached for comment, a university official said, “The conversations are not political, they are purely academic. If the government has made a proposal, the university is the right space to discuss it.”

Last year, just ahead of the general election, the university had hosted several programmes on the theme of ‘Viksit Bharat’, the idea of a developed India. Many teachers had termed the drive a violation of the Model Code of Conduct.