Women lead 2025-DUSU poll battle, bring menstrual leave, safer campuses to centrestage

New Delhi, Sep 15 (PTI) Nearly two decades after Delhi University last had a woman as its student union president, this year's elections have put them back in the spotlight, with both NSUI and the Left-alliance fielding female candidates who are raising issues like campus safety and menstrual leave in their campaigns.

The Congress-backed, National Students' Union of India's (NSUI), Joslyn Nandita Choudhary, who is the first woman to be in the fray for the top post in 17 years.

Choudhary, a postgraduate student of Buddhist Studies, hailing from Rajasthan's Jodhpur said she is contesting to highlight the "real issues".

"I come from a farmer's family and have been a student of Delhi University since 2019. I am contesting to raise concerns such as the shortage of hostels, demand for more reading spaces, cleaner washrooms, and a 12-day menstrual leave," she told PTI.

Choudhary said her vision as a president would include enhanced women's safety, strengthening the gender sensitisation committee against sexual harassment (GSCASH) and upgrading campus infrastructure.

"My aim is to make Delhi University more inclusive, affordable, and truly student-friendly," she added.

Choudhary also pointed to the pressure created by the four-year undergraduate programme, which she said has "doubled the demand for classrooms and hostels".

She vowed to campaign against money and muscle power, stressing that "every vote for a woman candidate is itself a defeat of muscle power".

Anjali, who is in the race for president fielded by the left-wing coalition, Students' Federation of India (SFI)-All India Students' Association (AISA), said she got drawn into politics after joining a protest against the construction of a commercial high-rise on the university land.

"Coming to DU was a step towards freedom and autonomy. At a protest I joined in my second year, I met people from AISA and realised that when we see issues in our surroundings and know who is responsible, we must fight," she told PTI.

Anjali, who is a student at the Indraprastha College for Women and hails from Tajpur village in Bihar's Gaya district said her organisation continues to guide her approach to campus politics.

In contrast, the RSS-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) nominated Aryan Maan as its presidential candidate.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) backed panel has promised subsidised health insurance, free Wi-Fi, upgraded sports facilities, and financial support for final-year research scholars. Maan said the ABVP aims to make Delhi University a "premier global institution" through its reforms.

With two women in the fray for president spot, this year's DUSU elections appear to be widening the conversation on what student politics should stand for signalling a shift from the traditional rhetoric of muscle power to the everyday realities of student life. PTI MHS MHS OZ OZ