Indian-Origin Student, Anvee Bhutani, Elected President Of Oxford Student Union
Anvee Bhutani, an Indian-origin student from Magdalen College at the University of Oxford, won the keenly fought battle to become the president of Oxford Student Union (SU).
Anvee Bhutani, an Indian-origin student from Magdalen College at the University of Oxford, won the keenly fought battle to become the president of Oxford Student Union (SU).
Bhutani was the Co-Chair of Campaign for Racial Awareness and Equality (CRAE) at Oxford SU and President of the Oxford India Society.
After being declared the winner at the end of a closely contested byelection at the Oxford SU on Thursday, she said she felt humbled by the support she had received and was excited about her plans for her upcoming term.
Twitter/@anveebhutani
In a election that came amid the wide raging issues impacting the education landscape, Bhutani fought on a platform of reform across key areas of access and mental health at the university.
She feels these issues connected well with the students and in the end, it is what won her the backing in a byelection that saw the highest-ever turnout.
¡°Oxford has historically been a place for the white elite to attend university, so to even be here feels like a great honour. I never imagined I¡¯d one day be standing for the presidency of the SU and have the chance to represent the entire student body and I feel so humbled to have won,¡± Bhutani told PTI.
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@anveebhutani has been declared the winner of the SU Presidential by-election.
¡ª The Oxford Student (@TheOxStu) May 20, 2021
She was elected at Stage 11, amassing 655 votes and narrowly beating out Yannis Baur, who amassed 649 votes.
Jade Calder reports.https://t.co/0NUX0ygFCD
"The SU fundamentally needs to be a union that fights for students¡¯ rights and I¡¯m really excited to have run on a platform to bring reform to four key areas: access and academics, community affairs, welfare and mental health, and societies and clubs. I want the SU to go back to being a hub that supports students and provides them with the resources they need,¡± she added.
Bhutani also extended her thanks to everyone who voted for her. She said she was excited to get to work along with other elected members and bring effective reforms and work for students' welfare.
Incidentally, the vice-president elect in the team for the 2021-22 academic year is also of Indian-origin, Devika, as is trustee-elect Dhitee Goel.
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Congratulations to Anvee Bhutani your Oxford SU President-Elect for 2021/22.
¡ª Oxford SU (@OxfordStudents) May 20, 2021
Thank you to all students who took the time to vote, and a special thank you to all the candidates who took part in this year's President By-election pic.twitter.com/9WgeUx0FYQ
Around 2,506 students turned out to vote in the leadership contest, which had the highest turnout and also the maximum number of candidates in an Oxford SU presidential election, with Bhutani beating 10 other students for the top spot.
The byelection followed the resignation of Indian student Rashmi Samant, who was forced to step down soon after her election to the post in February amid a row over her past social media posts.
