DUCSU election restores faith in ballot
Staff Reporter :
The much-anticipated Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) and hall union elections concluded at 4 pm yesterday in what observers and participants widely described as a peaceful, free and credible exercise.
For the first time in more than 16 years, students and the wider public are awaiting election results without the shadow of pre-fixed outcomes that had tainted the Hasina-era polls.
Often regarded as the “mini-parliament” of Dhaka University, the DUCSU election carries significance that extends far beyond the campus.
With the national polls scheduled for February, the vote is seen as a crucial test of Bangladesh’s ability to reclaim the ballot box after years of authoritarian rule, and a symbolic preview of the nation’s political trajectory.
Turnout was robust across the eight polling centres, with an average voter participation of 78.33 percent, according to the university’s Election Commission.
Curzon Hall registered the highest turnout at 87.34 percent, with 4,435 out of 5,077 students casting their ballots. The lowest turnout was reported at ULAB School, where only 63 percent of 4,096 registered students voted.
Chief Returning Officer Professor Dr Md Jasim Uddin told reporters that the day’s voting had proceeded without major incident. “Students cast their votes spontaneously and the overall atmosphere was peaceful,” he said.
Voters still in line at the 4 pm deadline were allowed to cast their ballots.
This year’s DUCSU election-the 38th since its inception-saw 39,874 registered voters, including 18,959 from five female halls and 20,915 from 13 male halls.
A total of 471 candidates contested 41 central posts and 234 hall posts. Among them, 45 vied for vice-president, 19 for general secretary, and 25 for assistant general secretary.
While the day passed largely without violence, allegations of irregularities surfaced. SM Forhad, general secretary candidate from the Shibir-backed United Students’ Alliance, claimed his polling agent was forcibly removed from a centre to favor a Chhatra Dal agent.
Khayrul Ahsan Marzan, a GS candidate backed by Islami Chhatra Andolan, alleged in a Facebook video that his agents were denied entry despite holding valid authorization.
Abdul Kader, vice-president candidate from the Students Against Discrimination panel, accused the administration of bias in a Facebook post, claiming the Election Commission and university authorities acted as “silent spectators.”
Speaking at TSC, he further alleged that rival candidates directly solicited votes inside polling centres without consequence.
BNP-backed candidate Abidul Islam Khan, also contesting for the VP post, warned that students would resist any attempt at manipulation during the vote count. “If there is even the slightest effort to tamper with results or suppress the students’ voice, we will resist it,” he said at a press briefing at Madhur Canteen. The elections also carried political undertones.
Abu Bakr Mojumdar, GS candidate from the anti-discrimination panel, criticized the presence of BNP standing committee member Mirza Abbas on the campus, arguing it sent the wrong signal to the public.
“He has no role in DUCSU elections and no right to be here,” Mojumdar told reporters outside Curzon Hall.
In a significant gesture of neutrality, Dhaka University Vice-Chancellor Professor Dr Niaz Ahmed Khan addressed student leaders at the Senate Building, stating: “I want to be very clear. I am not aligned with any group or party. I wish to work with everyone-that is my path.”
With ballots now cast, attention shifts to the counting process, which students and political observers alike will watch closely. For many, the integrity of the DUCSU polls is not only about student leadership but about whether Bangladesh can begin to restore trust in the electoral process after years of disillusionment. Meanwhile, DU authority has suspended all clases and expams for today