AMU students’ union polls: Nashra Naim becomes first woman vice-president, Noman Ashraf elected president

Aligarh Muslim University declared its Students' Union election results after an eight-year gap, with research scholar Noman Ashraf elected president and Mohammad Hamdan honorary secretary. Law student Nashra Naim made history by becoming the first woman elected to a top-three post

Aligarh:  The results of the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) Students’ Union elections, held after a gap of eight years, were declared on Friday, with research scholar Noman Ashraf winning the president’s post and law student Nashra Naim creating history by becoming the first woman to be elected to one of the three top positions in the students’ body.

BTech student Mohammad Hamdan was elected honorary secretary, completing the results of the three key office-bearer positions. The counting of votes continued throughout Thursday night at AMU’s ABK School campus, with the results being announced on Friday morning.

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Voting was held on November 5 across 13 polling centres. Noman Ashraf, a research scholar in the Department of History, secured 7,797 votes to win the presidential election. He defeated his nearest rival, Mohammad Intikhab, by a margin of 4,121 votes. As the final rounds of counting confirmed his victory, supporters erupted in celebrations, raising slogans and bursting firecrackers on the campus.

Reacting to his victory, newly elected President Noman Ashraf said, “After a long struggle of eight years, we have finally achieved this opportunity, and it is a moment of great happiness. You can see the enthusiasm and excitement among the students here…” In the secretary’s election, BTech student Mohammad Hamdan emerged victorious.

Speaking after his election, he underlined the responsibility that comes with the mandate and promised to fulfil the commitments made to students. “A victory this big comes with an even bigger responsibility, and I will do my best to fulfil it. I will make every effort to honour all the promises I have made and work wholeheartedly towards achieving them…” Hamdan said.

The most significant outcome of the election came in the vice-president’s contest, where law student Nashra Naim scripted history by becoming the first woman in AMU Students’ Union election history to win one of the three principal posts of president, vice-president and secretary.

Seven candidates were in the fray for the vice-president’s position. Naim faced a close contest with Saqib Ali Khan but managed to establish a lead in the final rounds of counting to secure victory.

Describing her achievement as the result of collective efforts, Naim said, “I believe that achieving this in such a short time, with limited resources and a small team, was possible because of the dedication, courage and sincerity of the people who joined us.” She further stressed the need to redefine leadership and address longstanding concerns within the university’s student community. “I feel that leadership needs to be redefined. Over the past eight years, several issues have emerged, and even before that, when the Students’ Union was active, we had heard about many challenges…” she added.

Naim described her victory as a win for the entire student community and said she had begun a new journey with a particular vision, expressing hope that the trend would continue.

The elections mark the revival of the AMU Students’ Union electoral process after an eight-year gap, with the results witnessing celebrations among students across the campus.