Dilshada Raihan’s UoH win: From campus activist to student union president
HYDERABAD: Students’ Federation of India (SFI) candidate Dilshada Raihan defeated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) candidate Naresh Podishetty by 451 votes to become president of the University of Hyderabad (UoH) student union.
Raihan secured 2,178 votes in the election held on Wednesday. Podishetty polled 1,727 votes.
Raihan contested as the presidential candidate of an alliance comprising the All India Students’ Association (AISA), Ambedkar Students’ Association (ASA), Dalit Students’ Union (DSU), SFI and Tribal Students’ Forum (TSF), as reported TOI.
Dilshada credits Left unity and campus issues
Raihan, a research scholar at the School of Humanities, said unity among Left organisations and opposition to the BJP and ABVP helped the alliance win.
“Two things worked in our favour: the unity of Left organisations and the anti-BJP and anti-ABVP sentiment, which only increased after the Jantar Mantar protest,” she said.
She also highlighted the role of the Cockroach Janta Party’s Jantar Mantar protest. The group organised protests in Delhi in 2026 over examination-related issues.
A native of Kannur in Kerala, Raihan graduated from Government Brennen College, Thalassery. She also served as the joint secretary of the student union there.
Raihan said the alliance focused its campaign on basic student issues. Its promises included menstrual leave, a rollback of the increased mess fee and removal of laboratory charges.
“Menstrual leave, lab charges and fellowship increases are policy-level issues, for which we will fight in the academic council. On mess fees, we will ensure hostel elections are held on time and set up separate mess committees with students, workers, the chief warden’s office and vendors,” she said.
Women’s representation influenced her Left alignment
Raihan said she chose to align with Left organisations because “they are more visible on the ground and work for change”.
“They also give women a place at the forefront, unlike other organisations where there is only token representation,” she said.
Raihan said her father, who did not receive formal education, runs a small provision store in Kannur. When she told him about her decision to contest the election, he asked her to prepare for the consequences.
“Not just now, even when I contested during my BA, he asked me to remember that I am a strong individual but also be ready to bear the consequences, especially since I am aligning with Left ideology amid the country’s current political scenario,” she said.
Raihan said books and articles about atrocities against minorities influenced her interest in Left literature.
“I remember I was asked to wear a parda at college by some seniors. I refused and told them nobody had the right to dictate what I wear,” she said.
Earlier women candidates faced defeats in university polls
Raihan’s victory follows earlier attempts by women candidates to lead student unions at major universities.
Albeena Shakil of the SFI-AISF combine became president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union in 2001. She defeated ABVP candidate Sandeep Mahapatra by more than 500 votes.
At UoH, ABVP fielded Shaik Aayesha, a PhD student, for the president’s post in the 2023 student union elections. She became the first Muslim woman fielded by ABVP for the top post at the university. However, Mohammed Ateeq Ahmed of the SFI-ASA-TSF alliance defeated her.
At Maulana Azad National Urdu University, Sadiya Mumtaz contested the 2018 student union election as the Azad United Students Federation candidate for president. Contemporary reports identified her as one of the candidates for the post.
Despite her victory, Raihan said she had no long-term political ambitions.
“The situation on campus was such that I was forced to contest. My friends were getting beaten up. We were all suffering due to anti-student policies and fee hikes. So, we felt ABVP had to be voted out of power to ensure justice to students,” she said.
Raihan said she would continue to focus on her academics while serving as student union president.
