CHANDIGARH: The fact that this is the first time in the history of Panjab University (PU) that three major parties have fielded women candidates for the post of student council President is not central here.
What is interesting is that the DNA of student politics in the Chandigarh-based university seems to be changing.
The three young candidates -- Sarah (PSU Lalkar), Arpita Malik (Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad) and Alka (Ambedkar Students Forum) -- are dreaming with their eyes open to force the authorities to make some instrumental changes.
Time will tell if the dreams translate into something concrete as the university goes to the polls on Thursday.
Sitting with Sarah at the Indian Coffee House in PU where almost everybody seems to know her, IANS had a long session on the need to acknowledge the students’ 'real' issues in an university which seems to be the rich kids’ playground with students flaunting fancy SUVs, from Mercedes-Benz G-Class to Thar.
“But Chandigarh is known for showing off its riches, something that is bound to reflect on the university’s roads and the issues taken up by the mainstream parties here, ” Sarah said.
According to Sarah, it was not her decision to contest for the President's post but a call taken by the party.
For someone active in student politics since 2020, and who did her undergraduation from Delhi University before joining the history department here, Sarah is clear that several things need to change in PU.
“The fee and food rates go up every year. We have only 50 per cent of the allotted permanent faculty, thus research scholars have to share the burden. Several new self-finance courses with fees running into lakhs have been started. They need to be converted into regular courses so that the students from economically weaker backgrounds can also enroll in them. There is also lack of hostels. And yes, the guest faculty needs to be made permanent, ” Sarah told IANS, highlighting the pressing issues.
Talk to her about three women contesting the President's post, and she asserts that because they boast a 70 per cent strength in PU, it is important that they have true representation.
“But it should not be tokenism. Remember, patriarchy affects both men and women. It should not be about the sex of the candidate, but how capable she/he is, ” she said.
Were her parents apprehensive when she announced that she is contesting the polls?
“Yes, they do worry. Not long ago, shootouts and physical fights were very common during PU elections, " she said.
Stressing that her party doesn't identify with either the Left or the Right but takes a stand on issues, Sarah sounded optimistic about her victory.
"Students are frustrated with the mainstream parties who have done very little over all these years. We are clear that education should not be a privilege but a right, ” she said.
Arpita Malik, the ABVP candidate who is a final year student of law and is competing a students' election for the first time, told IANS, “Student elections in PU have become nothing but a launch pad to get into politics after the winners pass out. Nobody seems to be bothered about the problems ailing those who study here.
Proud of the fact that she is representing the ABVP, which is the students' wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), Malika feels it is an organisation that puts the nation and the welfare of students first.
“It is a pan-India organisation which is not only well-organised, but also clear that the students are the future, and must therefore receive all the facilities, ” she said.
Talking about the issues she would like to tackle if her party comes to power, Arpita said that placements, students’ safety, especially those of women, a 24x7 pharmacy, and a medical emergency room are on top of her priority list.
On three women competing for the post of President this time, she said, “While some encourage, others try their best to pull you down.”
Stressing that she has not thought about getting into full-time politics after completing her education, she thanked her parents for supporting her decision to contest the polls.
“It wouldn't have been possible had they not been on my side.”
In the guest room of the girls’ hostel, almost everybody was surprised when Alka started talking about B.R. Ambedkar.
A student of Community Education and Disability Studies, the young Ambedkar Student Forum (ASF) nominee is originally from Delhi.
While she has been part of the organisation which earlier used to work as an association before deciding to form a party late last year for four years now, Alka told IANS, “Be it post-matric scholarships, disabled candidates, or student hostel infrastructure, we used to work here from time to time as an association."
Stressing that the university has over the years become a playground for the rich, with candidates from the mainstream parties getting bankrolled with funds from their parent organisations, she rued, “Nobody listens to the common students' plights.”
Disclosing that her mother, who's an inspector with ITBP, came to know about her contesting the elections through Instagram, she said, “She is extremely proud of my decision -- that a girl from our community is taking the established parties head-on.”
Admitting that they are working on a shoestring budget, with party members contributing from their pocket money, she sounded happy that the university will witness an ideology-based party fight the elections.
Adding that their manifesto is aimed at students who belong to the economically weaker sections and the middle class, Alka said she wants to take up the issue of post-matric scholarships if her party comes to power.
“We want a permanent implementation of that so that students belonging to the SC, ST, and OBC categories, and the visual-impaired students do not have to protest every few months. Besides, we want the university to provide scribes to the visually-impaired, something which does not happen right now, ” she said.
Lamenting that the infrastructure in the girls’ hostels are pathetic, she pointed towards ventilation issues, sanitation, half-cooked food, and unclean drinking water.
“Also, the shuttle service does not have a fixed time. Nobody knows when the bus will come. Why are such issues not raised by the major parties? We come from ordinary families, and no one seems to listen to us. That is precisely why we are fighting the elections, ” she concluded.