Issues like women safety and gender equality are gaining popularity among students and leaders feel that these are not strategies to win elections.

Student wings affiliated to various political parties are leaving no stone unturned to ensure victory in the upcoming Delhi University Students' Union (DUSU) elections.

In a bid to have noses ahead of their rivals, the three major contenders - the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS) and the National Students Union of India (NSUI) - have focused on the thought that women are significant representatives of not just the society, but the entire nation.

"We are the only party which has given tickets to two woman candidates out of the total four. It shows our commitment for girl's security and equal representation. In our manifesto (charter of demands) also, our focus is on women's issues," Garima Rana, the vice-president candidate from the Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti told Mail Today.

"The reason why most women candidates decided to contest the elections this time was to promote factors like gender equality and women empowerment on a larger scale," she added.

"A girl can understand another girl's problems better. Through our charter of demands (manifesto), we are trying to address issues of female students on a priority basis," Hitanshi Chauhan, joint secretary candidate of the Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti told Mail Today.

Issues like women safety and gender equality are gaining popularity among students and leaders feel that these are not strategies to win elections.

"It's nothing which has just started, our organisation believes in extending equal opportunities to women from the time Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad was formed. Going back to the elections of 2010, a number of women candidates contested the elections from the organisation."

"In a country like India, where women are competing with men at almost every level, why should they not be given a chance in university polls? It is immensely important to provide equal status to women if one believes in promoting women empowerment," Rohit Chahal, national secretary of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad told Mail Today.

Similarly, NSUI has a long list of women candidates like Ragini Nayak, Amrita Dhawan and Alka Lamba, who gained popularity during Delhi Unioversity Students' Uinon elections.

"The NSUI has always been at the fore in promoting women for political activism. It is not a new thing for us. Since ages, we have had strong women contesting and winning DUSU elections, be it Alka Lamba in the 90s or Ragini Nayak and Amrita Dhawan in the 2000s.

"They have done a remarkable job as DUSU presidents and are now making a mark in the political scene," Angellica Aribam, national secretary of NSUI told Mail Today.