Daughters of a farmer and tour guide, footballer: Who’s running for president in DU Students’ Union polls?

On Thursday, students’ outfits announced their final candidates for the four posts of the central panel. This year too, like last time, the All India Students Association (AISA) and the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) — the united Left — will be contesting the election as an alliance.

Joslyn Nandita Choudhary, 23, pursuing a Master’s in Buddhist Studies, has been fielded as the presidential candidate by the Congress-backed National Students’ Union of India (NSUI). For her party, the nomination marks a milestone, with NSUI saying that it has restored female leadership to the top of its ticket after a gap of 17 years.

Choudhary, who hails from Pal Gaon in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur, told The Indian Express, “My family has always been very supportive and happily sent me to Delhi for my education, but I have seen many women around me who did not have the same liberty.”

Her father is a farmer, her mother a homemaker, and she is the only girl in her family. An active NSUI member since 2019, she has consistently championed women’s rights, campus safety, and representation.

Choudhary said her priorities as a president would include women’s safety and the introduction of menstrual leave on campus. “I want to see more women step forward and enter the fields of power and politics,” she said.

If Choudhary’s story is about defying patriarchy, Anjali’s is about building a reputation as the voice of student resistance.

The 24-year-old from Bihar’s Gaya is the daughter of a tour guide and a homemaker, and represents the SFI-AISA alliance. For years, she has been a fixture at DU protests — demanding the reopening of the campus in 2022, pressing for women’s hostels in Hansraj College, and rallying against the closure of boys’ hostels in Ramjas and Hansraj.

Anjali is also remembered for her role in leading students of Indraprastha College for Women (IPCW), her alma mater, after several women students were harassed during a college fest.

“DU is everyone’s dream university. But this dream is being broken for several students,” she said, stating that the Skill Enhancement and Value Addition courses are “bogus” and overburden students.

“We all know how women students were harassed during a fest at IPCW two years ago. After witnessing incidents like that, my effort will be to make the campus a safe space,” she added.

Aryan Maan has been fielded by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) as its presidential nominee. From Haryana’s Bahadurgarh, Maan studied at Hansraj College and is now pursuing a degree in Library Science.

A football player, he has been visible in campaigns against fee hikes and in efforts to improve university infrastructure. His party is betting that his record as an organiser on affordability and facilities will resonate with students.

While voting for the DUSU polls will be held on September 18, counting of votes is scheduled for September 19.

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