DU Correspondent :
As the 2025 Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) elections approach, leaders and activists from Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatradal and Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir have emerged as the most active on campus, outpacing other student organisations and independent candidates.
Chhatradal-supported candidates for Vice President (VP), General Secretary (GS), and Assistant General Secretary (AGS) have been visiting dormitories daily, meeting students and engaging in outreach alongside their leaders and activists.
While full panels have been fielded in the boys’ dormitories, female dormitories see limited Chhatradal representation, with hall committee members continuing campaign efforts on behalf of the candidates.
From Shibir, only VP candidate Abu Shadik Kayem has been actively seen campaigning with supporters, while GS and AGS candidates Farhad and Mohiuddin have yet to participate in large-scale outreach programmes. Shibir has not officially announced full panels in halls but maintains a strong presence in hall parliament elections and is actively preparing for central DUCSU contests.
Meanwhile, the panel supported by Bangladesh Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad, led by VP and GS candidates Abdul Kader and Abu Baker Majumder, has maintained a modest dormitory presence, relying largely on press conferences for campaigning due to fewer active supporters on the ground.
Other panels-including the independent panel led by former Anti-Discrimination Student Movement spokesperson Umama Fatema, two leftist party-supported panels, Chhatra Adhikar Parishad, and Islami Chhatra Andolan-backed groups-have largely confined their activity to press briefings.
Commenting on the current race, Mamun Orr Rashid, a student of Surja Sen Hall (2017-18), said: “This year’s election will primarily be a contest between Chhatradal and Shibir. These two parties have larger activist networks, which makes their campaigning stronger than others.”
Chhatradal VP candidate Abidul Islam Khan, speaking after visiting Sir A F R Hall, emphasised gender equality and student safety, saying: “A girl should enjoy the same facilities and services as a boy at Dhaka University. This is reality, this is normal, this is human rights, this is enshrined in the Constitution. Why should students feel confined? The university administration must ensure security and freedom for all.”
Shibir VP candidate Abu Shadik Kayem, after interacting with students at the central mosque, highlighted library funding and bureaucratic obstacles. He said: “Only around 2% of the university budget goes to the central library, whereas in other countries, research funding exceeds 20%. Books are kept inaccessible, and archive management faces excessive red tape. After winning the student mandate, we will reform the library radically, Inshaallah.”
The DUCSU 2025 elections appear poised to be a closely contested battle between the well-organised networks of Chhatradal and Shibir, with other panels and independents playing a less visible role in the campaign trail.
