POLITICS: How Do We Know the Best Candidates?

 POLITICS: How Do We Know the Best Candidates?

Abigail Kareem 

Choosing the right student leaders is one of the most important decisions students make on campus. The people elected into these positions determine how welfare, representation, and even funding for student programs are handled throughout the session. Yet, many students still find themselves voting based on friendship, popularity, or the loudest campaign jingles, rather than real competence. If student politics is to truly reflect the needs of the community, then students must go beyond catchy slogans and take a closer look at what each candidate offers.

Campus politics has slowly become a popularity game. Many students cast their votes based on friendship, hall of residence loyalty, or coursemate solidarity. The candidate with the loudest supporters is often seen as the “right choice,” even when no one is sure of their plans for students. As one student once joked during a faculty election, “we don’t even read manifestos, we just vote for the person that vibes with us.” But should leadership be reduced to mere vibes?

Popularity vs. Competence: The Real Struggle

Popularity is one of the strongest currencies in campus elections. Candidates from large halls of residence often start with an advantage because they can count on block votes. This sometimes sidelines equally capable aspirants who lack that kind of support network. As a result, many elections become a contest of numbers rather than ideas.

There is also the issue of peer pressure. A lot of students vote because their friends or roommates are “rooting for” a particular aspirant, not because they have personally assessed the candidate’s competence. This turns elections into a show of loyalty rather than a search for credible leaders. The result is predictable: winners sometimes enter office with no clear plan, leaving students disappointed until the next election cycle.

On the other hand, popularity can be a good sign when it comes from a candidate’s track record or genuine connection with the student body. Candidates who have been actively involved in student activities or have previously contributed to solving campus problems often gain trust naturally. Their popularity becomes a reflection of the impact they’ve already made, which can be an indicator of how they might perform if elected.

Beyond the Posters: Why Manifestos and Track Records Matter

Elections are not just about catchy slogans or colorful posters, they are about ideas that can shape the daily lives of students. A good manifesto should be clear, realistic, and focused on solving real problems students face. Promises like “I will make UI better” sound nice but doesn’t say much about what a candidate will actually do. Students should be able to read a manifesto and see specific plans that are achievable, whether it’s improving communication between students and management, ensuring better welfare, or creating opportunities for student development.

Track record is another key factor. The best candidates often have a history of service, maybe as class representatives, faculty association executives, or organizers of campus events. These experiences show that they understand how things work and can actually follow through on plans. A candidate who has never been involved in student activities might have good intentions but could struggle with the realities of leadership. Looking at what a person has done before is often a better indicator of competence than what they say they will do.

Students also have a role to play in demanding better campaigns. Paying attention to manifestos, attending manifestos night and asking tough questions help ensure that elections are about ideas and solutions, not just popularity contests. Student politics should be treated as a training ground for real-world governance. If we settle for “anybody” because they are popular or from our hall of residence, we risk normalizing the same culture of weak leadership that we often criticize at national level.

As the next session’s elections approach, students must resist the temptation to vote blindly. The best candidate is not just the one who talks the most or trends on WhatsApp, but the one who can prove they understand the problems of the university and have realistic solutions to solve them. Choosing them is not just a duty — it’s the first step toward making campus politics truly work for everyone.


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