Two Female Students to be Elected Unopposed in DUCSU Hall Elections

Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) Building

Due to the absence of competing candidates, two female students are set to be elected unopposed for secretarial posts in the hall elections of the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU). The candidates are Rehana Akter and Lamia Akter (Lima), both contesting for the Outdoor Sports Secretary position in two different hall parliaments.

Rehana Akter submitted her nomination as an independent candidate for the election of the Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall Parliament. Meanwhile, Lamia Akter is a candidate from the panel of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal for the Shamsun Nahar Hall Parliament election.

On August 21, the election commission for DUCSU and hall elections published the preliminary candidate list, which revealed that only one nomination was submitted for the Outdoor Sports Secretary position in both the Shamsun Nahar and Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall Parliaments. Rehana Akter, a student of the Public Administration Department at Dhaka University (2022-23 academic year), is a member of the Bangladesh Under-20 Women’s Football Team and previously played for the Under-19 team. Speaking to *Prothom Alo*, she said, “Due to my recognition as an athlete, no one else from the hall submitted a nomination for the Outdoor Sports Secretary post.” Abdul Kader, a Vice President (VP) candidate from the Democratic Students’ Parliament, referred to Rehana as a “well-wisher” and noted, “There might have been some understanding with our panel.” Similarly, Lamia Akter, a student of the Bangla Department at Dhaka University (2022-23 academic year), is set to be elected unopposed in the Shamsun Nahar Hall Parliament. She declined to comment on her unopposed election at this time. Nasir Uddin, the central general secretary of Chhatra Dal, told *Prothom Alo* on Saturday evening, “It’s coincidental that there were no other candidates for a specific post. We did not make any compromises or agreements with anyone. It’s unclear why other student organizations contesting the elections didn’t announce full panels for the hall parliaments. It would have been better if there was strong competition for all posts.” Dhaka University has 18 halls, including five for female students, with each hall parliament having 13 posts, including VP and General Secretary (GS). This results in a total of 234 posts across all halls. According to the preliminary scrutiny, 1,108 students’ nominations were deemed valid. In the DUCSU election, around 10 panels, including various student organizations and independent candidates, are competing. However, no student organization could field a complete panel for all hall elections. Chhatra Dal managed to field full panels in 14 out of the 18 halls. Meanwhile, organizations like Shibir and the Democratic Students’ Parliament are supporting many independent candidates in various hall elections despite not announcing full panels. The DUCSU and hall elections are scheduled for September 9. The central DUCSU parliament has 28 posts, including VP, GS, and Assistant General Secretary (AGS). A total of 509 nominations were submitted for these posts, with 47 initially deemed defective. For the VP post, 48 candidates were declared valid, 19 for GS, and 28 for AGS. The 12 secretarial posts have between 9 and 19 candidates each, while 215 candidates are contesting for the 13 member posts. Candidates can withdraw their nominations by Monday, August 25. Official campaigning will begin on August 26 after the final candidate list is published. However, candidates from Chhatra Dal, Shibir, and the Democratic Students’ Parliament have already started “exchanging pleasantries” with students since Friday. **Sanjida Ahmed Aims to Win Through Competition** A new Research and Publication Secretary post has been introduced in DUCSU this year. Sanjida Ahmed (Tanvi), an independent candidate for this post, has received support from at least five panels, including Chhatra Dal, the Discrimination-Resistant Students’ Parliament backed by the Democratic Students’ Parliament, and others. Sanjida, who was injured during the July mass uprising, gained recognition through a widely circulated photo from the event. However, some panels, such as the Shibir-supported United Students’ Alliance and Umama Fatema’s Independent Students’ Unity Panel, have fielded candidates for this post, along with a few independent candidates. According to the preliminary list, 11 candidates, including Sanjida, are contesting for this position.

Sanjida said, “I want to win through competition. I’m preparing my election manifesto. Once official campaigning starts, I’ll hit the ground running. If elected, I’ll do my utmost to uphold the dignity of the students’ votes.”