After a five-year hiatus, student council elections finally returned to Delhi based Ambedkar University Delhi (AUD) marking a pivotal moment in the revival of student democracy. Yet, what should have been a celebration of participatory governance was marred by severe administrative irregularities, arbitrary rule changes, and blatant violations of electoral norms. The AUD Student Union Elections were held on February 27.
Despite these obstacles, a significant section of students rallied behind the All India Students' Association (AISA) in the fight for student rights. AISA contested nine seats and emerged victorious in six, securing representation across undergraduate, postgraduate, and research programmes. The SFI secured 25 seats, while far-right ABVP was limited to3 seats.
The electoral process, however, was fraught with injustice. The administration introduced last-minute eligibility criteria, leading to the mass disqualification of candidates without transparent justification. The MPhil constituency was scrapped without due process, diminishing research scholar representation, while the election schedule was announced before the formation of the Election Committee — a direct violation of the AUDSU Constitution. Further compounding the chaos, the delayed release of electoral rolls and the arbitrary separation of voting and counting processes eroded trust in the administration's intentions.
AISA’s Victorious Candidates:
Anmol (M.A. Hindi)
Ali (B.A. Law and Politics)
Blessy (M.A. Sociology)
Prerna (Ph.D. Gender Studies)
Priyanshu (B.A. Global Studies)
Navya (B.A. English)
AISA’s performance reflects the students' unwavering faith in its leadership and commitment to a more just and inclusive campus. For years, AISA has been at the forefront of student struggles — leading movements against fee hikes, demanding better hostel facilities, fighting administrative overreach, and resisting the creeping privatisation of higher education.
With this new mandate, the elected representatives have pledged to prioritise urgent student concerns: improving hostel conditions, expanding mental health support, reinstating scrapped scholarships, and ensuring greater transparency in university governance.
