Tuesday saw candidates for the student union’s top posts deliver their final speeches at the University Union Hall, with hundreds of students cheering for their preferred candidates late into the evening. With the stage set for polling on Thursday, the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) campus is abuzz with electoral activity after a gap of eight years.
Issues raised prominently included police interference on campus, particularly during the 2019 anti-CAA-NRC protests and disputes regarding university land acquisition by the Aligarh Nagar Nigam. Chief election officer Prof Javaid Talib constituted a faculty committee to oversee the proceedings, with Dr Fasih Raghib Gauhar serving as convener and Dr Ahmad Mujtaba as co-convener. The speeches were centered on the theme: “Role of Student Leadership in Nation Building. The event was scheduled to conclude by sunset. the students and candidates eager to participate in elections held after an eight-year hiatus appeared defiant of the imposed constraints Although organisers asked speakers to avoid inflammatory language or statements violating the university’s code of conduct. the primary focus remained on student-centric issues at AMU While some speakers addressed international topics like the conflicts in Palestine and Iran.
Over 20,000 voters are expected to cast their ballots on November 5 to elect office-bearers and cabinet members for the Aligarh Muslim University Student Union (AMUSU). For the cabinet member positions, 46 candidates have been deemed eligible to contest. Notably, 28-year-old Amina Irshad is the sole female candidate for the presidential post, while two women are contesting for vice president. For the Women’s College Students’ Union (WCSU), six candidates are in the fray for president, four for vice president and five for secretary, with 18 candidates eligible for cabinet membership. Vote counting is scheduled to begin at 6 pm the same day of voting, with results expected later that evening.
The electoral race features nine candidates for president, seven for vice president and three for secretary.
