(From config spec man page)
A selection rule is formed as scope / pattern / version-selector.
The difference is in the pattern:
element /cl5_sw_ste/DCT/*/... /main/0 -mkbranch rel_drop5
Means the selection rule will apply to all directories under DCT.
You could rewrite it as:
element /cl5_sw_ste/DCT/* /main/0 -mkbranch rel_drop5
(you don't need the final /..., but in both case, DCT itself is not concerned by the version selector /main/0 -mkbranch rel_drop5: that is bad, since any element you add or remove directly under DCT would make a new version for DCT itself, and it won't be in rel_drop5)
element /cl5_sw_ste/DCT/... /main/0 -mkbranch rel_drop5
Means the selection rules will apply to DCT and all the directories under DCT.
That is usually what you see when working with branches.