DUTA elections: Teachers' bodies field candidates for top post

Three candidates have been fielded, so far, by different teachers' bodies for the post of president in the Delhi University Teachers' Association (DUTA) elections, scheduled to take place in August. The election for the office of president and 15 members of executive committee for 2017-2019 will be conducted on August 31. Candidates have to file their nominations on August 22, 23.

Counting of votes will take place on the day of elections itself- August 31.

Left-affiliated Democratic Teachers Front (DTF) has announced Rajib Ray, a professor of Philosophy from Kirori Mal College, as its candidate for the president post.

"Ray is a veteran of the teachers' movement and had been twice elected as teacher representative of DU Executive Council," Nandita Narain, DUTA President said.

National Democratic Teachers' Front(NDTF), a BJP-affiliated body, has announced last year's runner up VS Negi as its candidate, while University Teachers' Forum (UTF) candidate will be a professor of Political Science - Surender Singh Rana.

"Our agenda will be to fight for permanent posts, promotions, pensions, pay commission and take up issues of physical education teachers, among others," said Sandeep Kumar, a UTF member and DUTA secretary.

Another group - Academics for Action and Development (AAD) has decided to back the UTF's presidential candidate and will be fielding four of its candidates for DUTA executive committee.

"Among other issues, AAD's agenda would be to demand maternity leave for ad-hoc teachers, promotions, oppose the retrospective implementation of the point system, and not counting of ad-hoc experience," Rajesh Jha of AAD said. Election Officer Prof. Ujjwal Kumar Singh told PTI that so far two meetings have been held and further congregations will be held to finalise a concrete plan for the upcoming polls.

For the past three consecutive terms, DUTA president post has gone to DTF.

Professor Nandita Narain had been elected for two consecutive terms and before that, a Hindi Professor Amar Deo Sharma was the president of DUTA for one term. The DUTA president is elected for a single two-year term.