They are not alike at all, and do not become so by your artificially stretching categories to include both. As a matter of fact, though, your last sentence has a point in that Elayne does have a birthright to Andor which Egwene does not. If you want to assert her democratic mandate, that was not intended that she actually rule. Elayne has been training for her role for 18 years. Egwene's situation in the Tower would be comparable to an immigrant of less than two years residence (and no carry-over political or administrative experience) asserting a claim to a throne. The only issue with that would be the coming of the Last Battle, but then there are not better things Elayne could be doing instead, and pressing her claim is not getting in the way of anything. Dyelin would be beholden to a faction that shares her expressed viewpoint of Andoran rights taking precedence over Rand's needs, Arymilla & Elenia were personally known to both Rand and Elayne and assessed by both and found wanting, in a way Egwene had no basis for judging about Elaida. All we KNOW about Elaida, if we dismiss the speculation of her personal enemies and initiates who have been in the Tower less than five years combined, is that her policy regarding Rand was identical to that of Egwene's closest counselor.

- In the first place, Elayne's plans had something beyond her struggle in mind. As part of her agenda, she also worked on mobilizing her country citing the need to fight the twin menaces of the Seanchan and Shadow. I have never seriously denied for a second that Egwene intends to fight the Seanchan or the Shadow, but has done nothing to either end, asking us instead to take for granted that once the Tower is in her hands, all will be well. Some of Elayne's recruiting efforts were even things she claimed would not help her struggle (i.e. because the men were too green to be of use in the immediate fight) but would be needed down the line in the struggles ahead.

- Egwene kept justifing her naked power-grab by claiming she'd back down if not for some unproven flaw in her opposition. When Elayne has the whip hand, she actually DOES offer to step down in the name of unity, despite controlling a plurality of votes. Egwene contemplates such things when she is actually in a position of weakness, and is merely an obstruction to unity, rather than a legitimate contender, but rejects them for unproven and untested hypotheses (such as the view that Elaida's peacetime rule will be as stringent as her acts against a group in active and open rebellious warfare; or that her personal development as a leader is more important than giving way to the superior experience of the Hall).

- Elayne has never expressed an intention to punish Rand for his transgressions against Andoran rights, sovereignty or interests. Egwene has, plainly taking a position analoguous to that of Dyelin, Ellorien & their ilk that Andoran perquisites must be honored first before they could consent to following or helping Rand. What makes this worse is that Rand's actions have had the unintended consequence of complicating and obstructing Elayne's campaign, and aiding and abetting Egwene's. Andor has doen nothing to get in the way of Rand or interfere, and not one noble or other authority figure in Andor has ever expressed any intention to obstruct or interfere with him or even refrain from allying to him so long as he affords them the same courtesy. The Aes Sedai can make no such claim, and even if the blame for whatever hypothetical dangers are engulfing the sisters sent to the Black Tower can be fairly laid at Rand's door, the accounts between them are still heavily canted towards Rand. But for the grave crime of defending himself, he is to be punished.

- Andor is a nation, including a city as large or larger than Tar Valon, and possibly the largest group of people under a single ruler outside the Seanchan Empire and Rand's conquests. Elayne's attention to Andor affects the fate of hundrds of thousands, even millions of people (if they can muster 200,000 soldiers, their population has to be at least 4 million; a nation can rarely support an army greater than 5% of its population), and they are the kind of people who need protection. Egwene's actions affect, at worst, a city of 100,000 (IIRC Jordan's numbers on the population) and a club of women who are among the wealthiest and most powerful in the world. In other words, if all goes to pot, the people with the greatest ability to survive and take care of themselves are the ones who will be most discomfitted by Egwene's failure.

- Elayne, unlike Egwene, did not come out in the end and AGREE WITH ME that the whole movement that put her in power was wrong-headed, divisive and unworthy! Props to Egwene for finally realizing her error, and for putting the Aes Sedai in their place, but it is this error and these obnoxious, recalcitrant and arrogant people she has been exerting all her efforts and attention on. It is for their sake she intends to take positions in opposition to Rand, despite the absolute necessity of him to win the Last Battle. Elayne, meanwhile, was working for the betterment of a not-insignificant portion of what Rand is going to face the Dark One to preserve.

- Elayne has acknowledged the social inferiority of a queen to the Dragon Reborn. Egwene, despite her utter refusal to afford the man who will save the world of which she is a part any respect or deference, expects some acknowledgement of her status from Two Rivers people, despite that same position being meaningless to the Two Rivers. If you don't have to kneel to a friend from the same village, why do you owe her any respect just because she takes a position whose previous occupant they ALSO refused to bow to? They don't respect Amyrlin Seats, they don't have to show respect if they come from the same village (according to Egwene's own behavior), yet Egwene is disgruntled by Mat's refusal to recognize her as Amyrlin Seat in his heart, not being satisfied with the greatest public display of honor she ever received before her arrival in Tar Valon!

The two situations are not at all alike, and treating them differently is neither hypocrisy nor discrimination nor preferential analysis of a character.