AMU votes today: student union election returns after 8 years, counting at 7 pm
By TUF News Desk · Published 5 November 2026 · 4 min read
Fact-checked against 2+ independent sources · Editorial policy
Students at Aligarh Muslim University are voting on Thursday, November 5, 2026, in the first students union election in nearly eight years. Polling is for the 2026-27 session, and counting is scheduled to begin at 7 pm the same day, with results expected that evening.
The date matters because the union has been dormant for so long. Students had raised the demand repeatedly, and the latest round of protest turned it into the central issue on campus.
A 20-day protest that forced the date
The protest began on September 21, 2026. Students had two demands: a date for the union election, and the removal of Proctor Professor Mohammad Naveed Khan. Postgraduate student Yasir Fahad went on an indefinite hunger strike, and other students joined the agitation in the days that followed.
Early October brought the sharpest phase of the protest. Demonstrators blocked all four entry gates to the campus, and tension rose after police detained four students from a hostel in MM Hall.
The deadlock broke after a meeting late on October 8 between student representatives and Vice-Chancellor Professor Naima Khatoon. A registrar notification on October 9 recorded the agreement on both demands. Khatoon later visited the protest site and offered juice to Fahad, ending his hunger strike, and student leaders said they would call off the agitation.
What changed in the administration
The university replaced Khan as proctor with Professor Nafees Ahmad Ansari, chairperson of the Department of Political Science. That change was the second half of the agreement, and for protesting students it was as important as the election date itself.
The election machinery was set out in a press note from the university. Professor Javaid Talib of the Department of Law was appointed chief election officer. Professor Nazia Hasan of the Department of English at Womens College will oversee elections to the undergraduate students union of Womens College. The last date for filing nomination papers at the union office was October 29.
Students will still be watching the process closely, and with reason. In August 2025, a protest over a fee hike widened to include the restoration of the union. The administration then agreed to hold elections, and elections were notified for December 2025. That commitment was not honoured, which is why the November 5 schedule carries a weight that a routine campus poll would not.
Why the result matters beyond Aligarh
A students union is the formal channel through which students take up hostel issues, fee questions, and academic grievances with the administration. Without one, those conversations happen informally, or through protests. AMU is a central university in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, so the return of an elected union restores a structure the campus had lived without for years.
The pattern is not unique to AMU. At Jamia Millia Islamia, students ended an 18-day protest in late October after the university agreed to a constitution deadline and elections in 2027.
For AMU students, the immediate question is simpler: who wins on Thursday evening, and whether the new union can hold the administration to the promises made in October. The count from 7 pm will give the first part of that answer. Updates and official notices can be checked on the official AMU website.
Frequently asked questions
When is the AMU students union election being held?
On November 5, 2026, for the 2026-27 session. Vote counting is scheduled to begin at 7 pm the same day, with results expected that evening.
Why did AMU go eight years without a students union election?
Students say the union had been dormant for nearly eight years despite repeated demands. An earlier commitment to hold elections in December 2025 was not honoured.
What ended the 20-day protest at AMU?
A meeting between student representatives and Vice-Chancellor Professor Naima Khatoon on October 8, followed by a registrar notification on October 9 that set the election schedule and replaced the proctor.
Who is running the AMU students union election?
Professor Javaid Talib of the Department of Law is the chief election officer. Professor Nazia Hasan of the Department of English at Womens College oversees the undergraduate students union election there.
Frequently asked questions
When is the AMU students union election being held?
On November 5, 2026, for the 2026-27 session. Vote counting is scheduled to begin at 7 pm the same day.
Why did AMU go eight years without a students union election?
Students say the union had been dormant for nearly eight years despite repeated demands, and an earlier commitment to hold elections in December 2025 was not honoured.
What ended the 20-day protest at AMU?
A meeting between student representatives and Vice-Chancellor Professor Naima Khatoon on October 8, followed by a registrar notification on October 9 that set the election schedule and replaced the proctor.
Who is running the AMU students union election?
Professor Javaid Talib of the Department of Law is the chief election officer, and Professor Nazia Hasan of the Department of English at Womens College oversees the undergraduate students union election there.
Sources: Jagran Josh, The Times of India, IndiaTomorrow