As Aligarh Muslim University prepares for its first Students’ Union election in about eight years, a new question is being discussed on campus: will a woman lead the union for the first time? Amar Ujala reported on the debate on 12 October 2026.
The background
- According to the report, no woman has ever been president of the AMU Students’ Union.
- Women students played an important role in the 19-day protest that ended on 9 October with the university agreeing to restore the union and hold elections.
- AMU already has its first woman Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Naima Khatoon, who took charge in 2024.
The call
Amjad Ali, a law student, has argued on social media that the union’s leadership should go to a woman. His point: if the university can have a woman Vice-Chancellor, a woman can also be union president. He has urged women students to contest the top posts of president, vice-president and secretary, saying it would give them a direct voice in the union’s leadership. According to the report, many students have backed the idea online.
What to watch
Nothing has been decided. Whether women contest the top posts will be clear when nominations are filed on 29 October. Voting and counting are on 5 November. The Women’s College also holds a separate students’ union election, conducted by Prof. Nazia Hasan.
Read the full AMUSU election schedule and how the 19-day protest ended.
