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Changing trends: More women step into political arena in Chandigarh colleges
Having started with the election of Kanupriya on the post from the SFS in PUCSC in 2018, the fever of women’s participation is finally spreading to the affiliated colleges also
Till last year in Mehr Chand Mahajan Dayanand Anglo Vedic (MCM DAV) College for Women, Sector 36, only one or two girls stood for the post of president but this year, eight girls are contesting for the post.
Similar is the case with Guru Gobind Singh College for Women (GGSCW) where four girls are fighting for the post of the president.
What can be seen as a sign of changing trend, the participation of girls in the student elections of 2019 has increased manifold in comparison to the previous years. Having started with the election of Kanupriya on the post from the Students for Society (SFS) in Panjab University Campus Students Council (PUCSC) in 2018, the fever of women’s participation is finally spreading to the affiliated colleges also.
Talking about the changing trend in city colleges, Kanupriya said, “Definitely, we see more women coming up in politics these days, however, we still wish for the day when they will be involved in decision making of the organisation they belong to. Participation for the sake of participation is not fair, they should uphold the politics for which they are standing for.”
Rakshita Kaul, who is contesting for the post of secretary from MCM DAV College, said, “This is the first time after many years when the competition and number of candidates competing has changed manifold.” “Because of a party system, other colleges usually tend to get external support. But at MCM, since it is just candidate versus candidate, the contest becomes more competitive as our people stand for and against us. Despite that, I am still ecstatic to see how every girl in the college has a rising voice for its betterment.”
From Post Graduate Government College for Girls (PGGCG), Sector 42, as well as PGCGC, Sector 11, two girls each are standing for the post of the president, while in case of Dev Samaj College for Women,Sector 45, four girls are standing for the post of president.
For the first time in the history of Goswami Ganesh Dutta Sanatan Dharma (GGDSD) College, a woman candidate has been fielded by a mainstream students outfit. Jahanvie Saini is contesting the polls on the Students’ Organisation of India’s (SOI’s) ticket.
Post nomination withdrawals, parties announce alliances
Day after the filing of nominations in 11 city colleges, multiple withdrawals of nominations were witnessed at the Panjab University (PU) on Saturday.
Before withdrawals, co-ed colleges of the city with dominant student parties saw alliances coming up, with 36 students contesting for the post of president.
For the post of vice-president, 25 candidates are in the fray followed by 25 others for the post of general secretary. For the post of joint secretary, 35 students are fighting the polls that are scheduled on September 6.
Amidst hooting, sloganeering and campaigning by different student outfits, the colleges saw littering as well.
In Dayanand Anglo Vedic (DAV) College, Sector 10, Hindustan Students’ Association (HSA), Himachal Students’ Union (HIMSU) and Himachal Pradesh Students’ Union (HPSU) announced alliances with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). On the other hand, Indian National Students’ Organisation (INSO) and National Students’ Union of India(NSUI) are in alliance.
However, Students’ Organisation of India (SOI) is fighting solo in the college. SOI’s presidential candidate Udesh Rana said, “We have decided to fight solo as alliances do not work after getting into the council due to differences in ideology, thus, they are unable to help students.”
At Post Graduate Government College (PGGC), Sector 11, Gandhi Group Students’ Union (GGSU) has announced an alliance with HSA, INSO, NSUI, HPSU and HIMSU, while Panjab University Students’ Union (PUSU) is in alliance with SOI.
At Goswami Ganesh Dutta Sanatan Dharma (GGDSD) College, Sector 32, ABVP is fighting on two posts, while Sanatan Dharma Hostel Union (SDHU) and NSUI are fighting alone. SOI and HPSU are in alliance for the upcoming polls.
At Sri Guru Gobind Singh College, Sector 26, SOI, Students of Panjab University (SOPU), Khalsa College Students’ Union (KCSU), GGSU, NSUI, HPSU and HSA are in alliance, while College Students’ Front (CSF), ABVP, INSO and SOI are fighting jointly.
