campus
Abu Sadiq Kayem wins DUCSU VP with over 14,000 votes
The Islami Chhatra Shibir-backed United Students’ Alliance has secured a sweeping victory in the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) election. According to the results announced on Wednesday morning, the alliance won key positions including VP, GS, AGS, and nine secretary posts.
Shibir leader Abu Sadiq Kayem was elected Vice President with 14,042 votes, defeating his closest rival from the BNP-backed Chhatra Dal who received 5,708 votes. The General Secretary post went to SM Farhad, president of Shibir’s DU unit, while Mohiuddin Khan won the Assistant General Secretary position. Several other secretary positions also went to Shibir candidates.
Independent candidates managed to secure victories in the posts of Social Welfare Secretary, Literary and Cultural Secretary, and Research and Publication Secretary.
For years, Shibir had no visible political presence on the DU campus under the Awami League government. Following the government’s fall last July, the group reemerged publicly, and within just one year, they achieved a major win in DUCSU.
Voting took place on Tuesday from 8 am to 4 pm, with an estimated turnout of over 78 percent. A total of 471 candidates contested 28 central DUCSU posts, while over 1,000 contested seats in the hall unions.
However, the results were rejected by candidates from Chhatra Dal and some independents, who alleged large-scale vote rigging and bias by the university administration. Tensions flared late at night as rival groups clashed on campus.
Chief Returning Officer Professor Mohammad Jasim Uddin, meanwhile, described the polls as peaceful and expressed hope that the election could serve as a model for other institutions in Bangladesh.
Abdur Rashid Jitu from the independent United Panel has been elected Vice President (VP) in the Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (JAKSU) and hall elections, while Mazharul Islam from the Shibir-backed alliance secured the post of General Secretary (GS).
The final results, announced on Saturday evening, also declared Ferdous Al Hasan and Ayesha Siddika Meghla—both from the Shibir-supported panel—as joint winners for the Assistant General Secretary (AGS) post.
Other elected office bearers include Tanvir Rahman, Husni Mobarak, Touhid Hasan, Ahsan Labib, Rashedul Islam, Mahadi Hasan, Nigar Sultana, Farhana Akhter, Raihan Uddin, Mohibullah Sheikh, and Jahidul Islam. Six students were elected as executive members.
This year, around 68 percent of the 11,759 registered voters cast their ballots. A total of 177 candidates, including six women, contested for 25 positions across eight full and partial panels.
Mafrufi Sattar, an election commissioner of Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (JUCSU), has resigned, citing irregularities in the voting process. She made the announcement on Friday night at around 8:30 PM while speaking to reporters.
Sattar alleged that despite repeated calls to address complaints, ballot counting began without resolving the disputes. She said the process was marred by irregularities and serious flaws, making it controversial.
She added that during a meeting called by the chief election commissioner, she briefly left for prayers and returned to find counting already underway. Claiming it was no longer possible to perform her duties in such circumstances, Sattar declared her resignation.
The BNP-backed student panel has withdrawn from the Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (JACSU) election, alleging large-scale irregularities and collusion between the university administration and Jamaat-e-Islami to favor the Shibir-backed panel.
At a press conference around 3:45 pm on Thursday (11 September), GS candidate Tanzila Hossain Boishakhi announced the boycott. Earlier at noon, the panel raised allegations that ballot papers and OMR machines were supplied by a little-known company linked to Jamaat, bypassing the usual procurement process.
VP candidate Sheikh Sadi Hasan claimed that the Election Commission opted for manual vote counting after irregularities surfaced but continued using the same company’s ballot papers, raising questions of fairness.
This year, a total of 11,897 students are eligible to cast their votes in the JACSU polls. A total of 177 candidates are contesting 25 positions across eight panels, including leftist, Shibir, BNP-backed, and independent groups.
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