In the upcoming University of Hyderabad (UoH) student union elections, scheduled for November 9, the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), which is the student wing associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), has fielded its very first Muslim woman candidate for the post of president. Shaik Aayesha, originally from Visakhapatnam and currently pursuing a PhD in Chemistry, will be contesting against Mohammed Ateeq Ahmed, another PhD student who is fighting the student election for SFI-ASA-TSF alliance.
The ABVP Hyderabad Central University Unit also announced the names of its other candidates for the upcoming elections. The ABVP is contesting the polls in alliance with Seva Lal Vidyarthi Dal (SLVD), an organisation dedicated to the welfare of the tribal community at the university.
The ABVP panel includes three female candidates out of a total of nine students.
Mrs Aayesha is in the fray as the ABVP's presidential candidate. Tarun Kumar, a research scholar from the School of Physics, is contesting the poll for the vice-president post. Rajesh Palia, a research scholar from the School of Economics, will fight for the role of general secretary. Rathod Vasanth Kumar, an Integrated MA student of Political Science, will vie for the position of joint secretary as a representative of SLVD. Antony Basumatary, a research scholar from the Department of Philosophy, is running for the post of Cultural Secretary. Jwala Prasad, an Integrated MA student of Hindi, is in the race for the sports secretary position.
G Vinshika from IMA Sociology will contest for the ICC-GSCASH (Integrated) role. Aruna from M Optometry will run for the ICC-GSCASH (PG) position. Pawana from PhD Hindi will contend for the ICC-GSCASH (Research) role.
"The ABVP Panel for the University of Hyderabad Union Elections 2023 is all set to restore the dignity of students at the University of Hyderabad. The student community of the University of Hyderabad requires a student-centric Right to Union, for which the ABVP-SLVD is the only credible option, ensuring an accountable, responsive, and transparent UoHSU," the ABVP said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
"ABVP is always at the forefront of making historical decisions in its 75 years of journey, and it's repeated in HCU. The presidential candidate of ABVP is Shaik Aayesha, the first Muslim woman to contest for the post of President in the history of the University of Hyderabad. All other panels, such as SFI-ASA-TSF, NSUI, and ASD (AIOBCSA, AISA, BSF, DSU, Fraternity), have failed to provide representation to the North-East students. However, ABVP has shown its inclusivity by making Antony Basumatary, a student from the Bodoland Territorial Region, contest for the post of cultural secretary," it said in an official release.