Sisters on the March

“PU elections are an occasion to go out of the way to support our respective parties,” says Vibha Sethi,a Botany student campaigning for Indian National Students Organisation (INSO) at all possible hours. “From holding classroom interactions,meeting up hostel residents to leading rallies,my friends and I have been doing it all,” she says. It is a trend that was not so prevalent till a few years back. “Earlier,girls restricted themselves to academic and extracurricular activities. Politics was a male dominated area,marred by violence and hooliganism. Not any more,” says Aditi Sahi of University Institute of Engineering and Technology.

With girls forming about 70 per cent of admissions at

Panjab University,it’s hard for them to stay out of the limelight. “The final panel affects us and we want to make sure it’s worthy,” says Ankita of the English Department,who has been making posters for Panjab University Students Union (PUSU) and is holding campaigning sessions at PU hostels.

With most shouting slogans to get their word across,some let legends inscribed on their jeans,tees and handbags do the talking,along with the mehndi that has the party’s name scribbled on it. “About 65 per cent of the supporters of Students Of Panjab University (SOPU) are girls,” says Harshvardhan Singh,campus president SOPU,who feels that women contribute to the success of a party. Tarlochan Singh of Student Organisation of India (SOI) agrees. “We are going to have two girls in the final panel of four. Besides,most of the department representatives are also girls,” points out Singh. “Campaigning in girls’ hostels too is in full swing,as girls’ hostels outnumber those of boys now. We visit them and campaign till wee hours. We address their grievances and also finalise the agenda for the next year. For now,it’s we the women,who in reality make and rule the council,the others are mere representatives,” says Sunali Garg of University Institute of Legal Studies.