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Abhilasha Rajput, a Second Year student of B.Sc Physical Sciences was recently elected as the new President of Maitreyi College, Delhi University for the session 2016-17. With a passion-driven attitude and a dynamic personality, she is known to grab every opportunity that comes her way. Along with being an essential part of the Student Union for more than a year, she has also been an earnest and a zealous member of Vistas- the photography society of Maitreyi and represents as the coordinator of several NGOs such as Umeed and LFT (Leaders for Tomorrow) for her enthusiastic contributions and work. As a proficient artist, she is currently in the process of selling her homemade handicrafts and creations online as well.

DU Beat got a chance to speak to her about the journey of her triumph and unleash her secrets of success.

Congratulations Abhilasha! How did you feel after being declared as the new President of your college? What do you think has been your real key for success or a quality that made you stand-out from the rest?

Thank you so much. I was overwhelmed on hearing my name being announced for the post of the President. The feeling is so good, that it’s indescribable. I believe that it was my unflinching dedication and complete honesty for every task that I fulfilled, which eventually paid off. Being a Committee Member in the Student Union for a year had given me the fortunate opportunity to learn all the functions of my college, make new contacts everyday and establish good relationships with students. More than that, the consistent encouragement and self assurance which I received from all my peers, juniors, seniors as well as my teachers was more than enough to sustain every ounce of strength and faith I had in myself. I would like to thank my parents, friends and teachers for their constant support and guidance.

What was your biggest challenge while running for the post of the President? How did you respond to your competitors?

Thankfully, there wasn’t any such troublesome obstacle in my way, apart from the few common problems that one is very much likely to face in every election campaign. Along with dirty politics, a few fights had also taken place between my competitors. Everyone played their own games and friends were being betrayed. But, in some ways, these only made me stronger and more resolute towards my goals. Throughout my campaign, I remained completely positive and determined to work as much as possible, and teach all the negative campaigners about the real secret of sincerity and hard work which alone made me achieve this victory today.

What were your main objectives in the election campaign and how do you plan on achieving them?

My main objectives in the campaign were to make our college campus cleaner and gardens more beautiful, provide fresh drinking water to the students via water coolers, ensure hygiene in every nook and cranny, and make Maitreyi reach greater heights by conducting bigger, better and more successful events in the future.
I plan to work on all this along with my student union team as soon as possible and would try to accomplish each and every goal without ever giving up.

What fueled your interest in joining the student union in the first place?

I feel it was my leadership factor that encouraged me to join the Student Union. It started when I decided to volunteer for college events like Annual fests, Seminars, Fresher’s parties, etc, and very soon, found myself get easily compelled by this kind of work. Volunteering for the ‘Admission Procedure’ introduced me to the recruitment procedure of the Student Union. So, I decided to come out of my comfort zone,worked extremely hard and became one of the Committee Members for the year 2015-16. My ex-presidents, Shelly and Manisha have been great mentors for me. They were one of the reasons I built up the courage to register myself for this post, as they boosted my confidence and hopes at every level.

In what spheres of Maitreyi do you intend on creating a difference and why? What would be your overarching purpose as a leader?

My ultimate goal would be to devote myself completely in the process of improvement in all sections of the college whether it’s in academics, sports, cultural events, or cleanliness, take into account the problems and most importantly, do everything I can to take Maitreyi to the list of the top ten colleges of Delhi University.
If there’s anything I have realized over these past few days following my victory has been the fact that everything happens for a reason. I still remember the time I was a little hesitant on joining an all girls’ college and remained unsure about my choice for several days. However, it was my mother who truly believed Maitreyi to be the best college option for me. How dearly right she was!
The ways in which my college has mended me, developed my skills and pushed me out of my comfort zone is something I would forever remain thankful for. So in return, I have and will continue to serve my college as my family, in as many little and big ways as I possibly can by being the president.

 

Shagun Marwah

[email protected]

After the spirited build-up on the speech day that took place on Thursday, students, unaffected by the rains that lashed the city, turned up to vote for their favoured candidates on Friday at SRCC. The candidates standing for various posts, were representing three respective panels, namely, the Hosteliers Panel, led by Rajan Chhabra, the Day Scholars’ Panel, captained by Prateek Handa, and the “V” Panel led by Vivek Jain.

The EVM results of posts for College President, General Secretary, and DU Central Councillors came out at around 2 in the afternoon, which saw Rajan Chhabra’s panel winning with a hands-down 4-0. The students winning the posts were Rajan Chhabra for College President, Ajay Kiraan for General Secretary and Amitabh Paul and Hari for DUSU CCs.

The results for the respective societies came later, and the Hosteliers’ Panel couldn’t have been happier as they won all the possible posts, bringing the statistics to 16-0.

The winning candidates were Bhanu Pratap and Priyamvad Yadav for President and Secretary respectively, Economics Society, Abhishek Vyas and Chandan Dhand for President and Secretary, English Literary Society, Satrajeet Mukherjee and Ankana Ghatak for President and Secretary, Fine Arts Society, Prajwal Bimali and Rahul Kothari for President and Secretary, Commerce Society, Ashish Mohanka and Kanika Gupta for President and Secretary respectively, Hindi Sahitya Sabha and Vardhman Jain and Lalit Chopra for President and Secretary, History and Political Science Society.

While Prajwal Bimali received the highest number of votes polled, a whopping 1112, Kanika Gupta won her post with the highest margin.

A visibly jubilant Rajan Chhabra mentioned in his speech, “We have worked hard in the past, and promise to work even harder in the future. Also, we have no hard feelings for anyone from the opposite panel, and we appreciate their efforts.”

An emotional Bhanu Pratap quoted, “It was a roller coaster ride, full of twists and turns, but those who were truthful to themselves, emerged as winners. We are looking forward to taking Ecosoc. and Srcc to greater heights.”

“What followed the announcement of the results was pure hysteria. The campus resonated with cheers of “Kunde hoye!” a South Indian victory song of sorts adopted by the hosteliers. The winning team was seen showering each other chips, supporters of the winning panel were dancing on the tables in the canteen,  it was crazy!”, informed Priyansha Saxena a student.

There were also a few verbal spats here and there, but no serious aggression was seen.

While the running helter-skelter convincing people to vote, almost spamming our inbox with vote appeals and general sweat and toil paid off for some, others had to face dejection, but what was noteworthy was the spirit with which the elections were contested.

Vatsala Gaur
[email protected]

Picture credits: Swadha SIngh