Aligarh: Voting to elect representatives to the Aligarh Muslim University Students’ Union (AMUSU) elections concluded on November 6 at 5 am. In the process, history was made. Around 74% of students showed up at polling booths to cast their votes, while 62% of students cast their votes for the Women’s College students’ union, Vibha Sharma, member in charge of the Public Relations Office at AMU, told The Wire.Students had been agitating for the restoration of the Students’ Union for the last three to four years, with their efforts finally bearing fruit this year after a 19-day hunger strike and the removal of the university proctor.Mohammad Noman Ashraf, a PhD student, was elected the president of the AMUSU. He won by a margin of 4,121 votes. Ashraf’s campaign agenda centred on restoring student democracy and holding the administration liable for alleged corruption, nepotism and neglect. He has emphasised on campus security, restoration of suspended students, protection of AMU’s minority character, improvement of off-campus centres, greater student representation, restoration of Urdu in official communications and the campaign for a Bharat Ratna for AMU founder Syed Ahmad Khan.Nashra Naim, AMUSU’s first woman vice-president. Photo: Ramsha Sartaj.Nashra Naim, from the department of law made history by becoming the first woman to be elected vice-president. According to one of the counting agents for Naim, who are given the task of verification in the counting process, she defeated her rival, Saquib Ali Khan, by a margin of 1,273 votes, securing 7,091 votes in total. Naim was contesting for a position that had never been occupied by a woman before and her candidacy came to represent a larger assertion of Muslim women’s place in student politics. Many people, including former Women’s College students’ Union president Afreen Fatima, have spoken of her as a prominent leader and a recognisable face of Muslim women’s leadership. “The competition was always between Saquib and Nashra,” a student, part of a group from the Faculty of Law who had come to vote, told this reporter. Naim’s 14-point manifesto centred on an approachable and accountable union. She promised transparent grievance redressal, disciplinary safeguards, career guidance, placement support, alumni mentorship and scholarships. Her agenda also covered women’s safety and representation, healthcare and mental health services, affordable food, academic reforms, fair attendance policies and financial transparency. She pledges to improve administrative services, reopen the AMUSU building and closed canteens, strengthen student representation and facilitate cultural events. AMU, during the students’ union elections of November 2026. Photo: Ramsha Sartaj.Mohammad Hamdan, a BTech student who secured the position of secretary promised better student welfare, academic facilities, women’s safety, hostel services, scholarships, placements, administrative accountability and protection of AMU’s minority character. A total of 151 nominations were filed – 76 for court members, 54 for cabinet members, 11 for president, seven for vice-president and three for honorary secretary. Among these, seven cabinet members’ nominations were cancelled, one presidential candidate withdrew and one other presidential candidate was declared ineligible for non-compliance with Rule 8.7 of the AMU Students’ Union (Conduct of Election) (Amendment) Regulations, 2019. Polling was held at the respective faculties from 9 am to 5 pm, with a lunch break from 1 pm to 2 pm. Voting cabins were set up, while polling staff sat at desks surrounded by tables holding papers and water bottles. Red plastic chairs placed under the trees offered a brief respite from the bustle. Outside, the mood was lively. Faculty buildings were wrapped with banners, bunting and posters, with court members and cabinet hopefuls competing for attention. Students stood in long queues, many holding pamphlets and phones, clicking pictures and making videos. Near the Medical College, supporters tossed pamphlets into the air as hands reached up to catch them. Students joked about whether their votes might somehow end up going to the Bharatiya Janata Party, a remark that appeared to draw on the ongoing national debate around allegations of vote chori (vote theft). Security personnel, police and Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel were deployed across the university during counting of votes. AMU, on the day of the students’ union polls. Photo: Ramsha Sartaj.“I have been studying at AMU for eight to nine years. I saw my first AMUSU election when I was still in school and too young to vote,” Saba, a student from the Faculty of Social Sciences, said. “Now, as a graduate student, I will finally be able to cast my vote, and I am very excited. This is a revolutionary step and one that was long overdue. Until now, we had been living without a voice.”Others echoed her.“I had only heard stories about AMUSU, but witnessing it firsthand now feels surreal,” said Nazla, a student from the Department of Economics.CampaignsThe university saw spirited campaigns.The panda at the AMU campus. Photo: Ramsha Sartaj.Posters and banners bearing the names and ballot numbers of presidential, vice-presidential, secretary, and cabinet candidates greeted you whichever way you turned. Handmade placards, colourful balloons and even a panda mascot campaigning for a cabinet candidate lent the contest a youthful character.Students moved in animated crowds, recording speeches, exchanging conversations, raising slogans and waving flags. Bike rallies became a defining feature of the campaigns. Some, however, opted for silent rallies, lending the contest moments of discipline. The campaign closed with the candidates’ final speeches at the Union Hall Terrace on November 3.For the first time in a very long time, the campus transformed into a vibrant political arena, with students gathering around the Union building to watch speeches on giant LED screens. Beneath the festivity ran a current of political awareness with candidates invoking issues ranging from facilities of students inside hostels to the minority character of the institution and minority rights in the Indian subcontinent. Students released red balloons, drifting upwards into the sky and waved AMU flags, seemingly carrying with them the hopes, anxieties and aspirations of a student community reclaiming its democratic space. “It felt absolutely surreal to witness the university elections I had only heard about until now. It instilled the feeling of pride for being an Alig,” said Zahra Hussain Khan, pursuing law. Her friends nodded in approval.A final year student of computer science expressed a deeper emotion.“I have mixed feelings. It is my final year so I thought, ‘Why should I remain a spectator?’ I must also contest. But destiny had other plans. However, I’m still there in the decision-making process through my vote. Even as an eligible voter of the country, I never got the chance to vote in my life, due to some circumstances. This will be the first time. And to those who thought Aligarh was dead, that no voice of intellectual thought could emerge from here, they should know that Aligarh is still alive, and we will bounce back,” he said. The student requested anonymity. AMU students line up to vote. Photo: Ramsha Sartaj.Women’s CollegeIn the presidential contest, Anam Riyaz became the president of Women’s College Students’ Union. Some of her promises included women’s representation in the AMUSU, improvement in faculty, internship access without unnecessary barriers, access to Maulana Azad Library and fair and transparent evaluations.Ayesha Khan won the vice-president’s post and listed some points to make it possible which is a campus that listens, academics and opportunities that reach every student and a union you actually see working. Second-year Arts student Mir Maryam Jan secured the position of honorary secretary. Her primary focus is a student grievance system, enriching academic resources, comprehensive student welfare and bridging a gap between seniors and juniors.The Women’s College, which is located about two kilometres from the main campus, was subdued in comparison to the main campus. Night time would become an hour for sloganeering and campaigning. Candidates campaigned in white suits, AMU’s formal dress code for women students. The institution has long been known for its powerful student union that runs independently of AMUSU. It has produced leaders like Afreen Fatima, who emerged as the strong face of Muslim women representation during Citizenship Amendment Act protests of 2019.Elections to the Women’s College students’ union were conducted separately under Chief Election Officer, Nazia Hasan. A list dated October 30 had six eligible candidates for president, four for vice-president, five for secretary and 18 for cabinet members. Five others were declared not eligible on grounds of age, academic arrears or attendance below 75%.Amidst the campaigning, two eligibility concerns emerged. First, students argued that the election guidelines regarding age limit of 17-22 for undergraduates overlook the Four-Year Undergraduate Programme’s changed course duration which in turn risks the exclusion of an entire batch from contesting. They also questioned why the Chief Election Officer’s discretion was not used. Others said that the fact that fourth-year women students were being made to vote in the WCSU elections was a discriminatory one. They said that there is no established legal basis this, as their academic and institutional circumstances have made them part of the main campus. AMU. Photo: Ramsha Sartaj.Apart from these two issues, some Women’s College students also said that they felt slighted because the coverage and effusion of Reels on Instagram were all about the candidates of AMUSU elections and their speeches. They also pointed to the contrasting treatment of candidates during the two elections – WCSU candidates were subject to a time limit during their speeches and were not allowed to speak beyond it. They were also, crucially, barred from expressing solidarity with Palestine. One of them reading a couplet criticising the administration was interrupted and asked to sit down, but she did not. They felt this contradicted the university’s stated position of placing both elections on an equal footing.