With each passing year, student elections in Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) are becoming diverse and competitive with increasing participation of students to express their concerns and claim their due democratic rights.
In last year elections, two groups took part in elections, namely AUSF (Azad United Students Federation) and ANSA (Azad National Students Association). But in this election, three groups came forward to file their nominations.
In an unprecedented move, AUSF fields Sadiya Mumtaz, a student of M.A. History, as its Presidential candidate this time. She is the first ever woman candidate in the history of MANUU Students Elections to have filed nominations for the post.
She has two male counterparts as competitors to the post–Mohammed Faijan of MCA from CS&IT Department and Areeb Akhtar of MSW from Social Work Department.
Clarifying the rationale behind backing a woman candidate for the crucial post, former President of MANUU Student Union Attaullah Niazi said that the university always remained a pro-woman institution.
“The University gives 33 percent reservation to women in admissions and offers various other facilities to them,” he noted.
“Within the campus many beat drums about woman empowerment, but seldom walk the talk. We set a trend by fielding a woman on joint secretary post last time itself,” the PhD scholar explained.
As of now, as many as 30 percent of total students in MANUU are women and the university has been contemplating to offer need and merit scholarship to them, informs Abdullah Asim, former VP of the Union.
For this student elections due to commence on September 6, as many as 27 candidates filed nominations for nine different posts. Out of these nominations, five are woman candidates.
A contentious issues of revoking of M.Phil course in MANUU has been brought up by ANSA. The course has already been discontinued from this academic year by the administration even after much hue and cry in the campus.
Some of other issues being raised by different groups include Health Insurance, Over bridge at Telecom Nagar Bus Stop, No Biometric Attendance, Hostel for Student, and No Regionalism.