Jucsu Polls: Swatantra Shikkharthi Panel’s Zitu elected VP, Shibir’s Mazhar wins GS
Staff Reporter :
After a 33-year hiatus, the Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (Jucsu) election concluded with independent candidate Abdur Rashid Zitu of the Swatantra Shikkharthi Sommelon panel elected vice president (VP), while Md Mazharul Islam, backed by Islami Chhatra Shibir under the Samonnito Shikkharthi panel, won the general secretary (GS) post.
Zitu secured 3,334 votes, while Mazhar obtained 3,930 votes, according to the official results announced at 7:28 p.m. on Saturday at the Senate Building. Chief Election Commissioner Professor Md Moniruzzaman declared the central union results, while returning officers from the 21 halls announced their respective hall outcomes.
The announcement ceremony began at 5:15 p.m., following a minute of silence in memory of a deceased faculty member. The event was moderated by Election Commission Member-Secretary and Proctor Professor A.K.M. Rashidul Alam. Students, candidates, and journalists crowded the hall for the long-awaited declaration.
Among other top central posts, joint general secretary positions went to Ferdous Al Hasan (archaeology) with 2,398 votes and Ayesha Siddiqua Meghla (philosophy) with 3,402 votes. Key secretarial posts were also filled: Abu Ubaida Usama (education & research), Safayet Mir (environment), Zahidul Islam Bappi (literature & publications), Sheikh Zisan Ahmed (cultural), Ruhul Islam (drama), Mahmudul Hasan Kiran (sports), Mahadi Hasan and Farhana Lubna (assistant sports), Rashedul Imon Likhan (IT & library), Ahsan Labib (social service), Husni Mobarak (health & food security), and Tanvir Rahman (transport & communication). Six students were elected as executive members, including Fabliha Jahan Najia and Nabila Binte Harun.
At the hall level, elections were held across 15 residential halls, producing a mixed set of winners:
# Begum Khaleda Zia Hall: Farhana Rahman (VP), Fatema Tuz-Zohra (GS), Raihana Sarkar (AGS)
# Poet Rabindranath Tagore Hall: Amit Kumar Banik (VP), Mahmudul Hasan (GS), Mirza Adnan Islam (AGS, uncontested)
# Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Hall: Sifat Ullah (VP), Mahmudul Hasan (GS), Tariq Ahmed (AGS)
# Faziltunnesa Hall: Oishee Sarkar (VP, uncontested), Farzana Tabassum (GS), Proma Raha (AGS)
# Shaheed Rafiq-Jabbar Hall: Mehdi Hasan (VP), Shariful Islam (GS), Ariful Islam (AGS)
# Male Student Hall No. 21: Ibn Shihab (VP), Oliullah Mahadi (GS), Tushar Ahmed (AGS)
# Kazi Nazrul Islam Hall: Rakibul Islam (VP), Ali Ahmed (GS), Samin Yasir (AGS)
# AFM Kamal Uddin Hall: GMM Raihan Kabir (VP), Abrar Shahriar (GS), Ripon Mondal (AGS, uncontested)
# Mir Mosharraf Hossain Hall: Khaled Zubair (VP), Shahriar Nazim (GS), Arafat Hossain (AGS)
# Maulana Bhasani Hall: Abdul Hai Swapan (VP), Hridoy Poddar (GS), Rakib Hasan (AGS)
# Shaheed Salam-Barkat Hall: Maruf Hossain (VP), Masud Rana (GS), Abrar Azim Bhuiyan (AGS)
# Female Student Hall No. 15: Sharmin Khatun (VP), Mehnaz Mohana (GS)
# Shaheed Jahanara Imam Hall: Mosammat Masruma (VP), Rizwana Bushra (GS)
# Male Student Hall No. 10: Md Asif Mia (VP), Md Mehedi Hasan (GS)
# Nawab Faizunnesa Hall: Bubli Ahmed (VP), Sumaiya Khanam (GS, uncontested) – AGS post vacant
# Al Beruni Hall: Rifat Ahmed Shakil (VP), Muntasir Billah Khan (GS), Sadman Hasan Khan (AGS)
The polls, held Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., saw 11,743 registered voters, with 8,003 casting ballots – a turnout of nearly 68 percent. A total of 177 candidates contested 25 Jucsu central positions, including nine for VP and eight for GS. At the hall level, 445 candidates competed.
Controversy clouded the lead-up, as opposition student groups accused the commission of bias over the use of electronic counting machines, alleging the supplier had ties to Jamaat-e-Islami. The commission eventually opted for manual counting. On polling day, the Bangladesh Chhatra Dal withdrew mid-afternoon, and later in the evening, four left-leaning panels also boycotted, citing irregularities. In total, five of the eight panels boycotted, but 111 candidates from three panels remained in the contest.
Ballot boxes from all halls were transported to the Senate Building Thursday evening, where counting began after 10:00 p.m. The process dragged on for nearly 40 hours, with officials citing the painstaking verification and sorting of ballots.
Despite boycotts and allegations, the Election Commission reported that no major irregularities were detected, though “minor mistakes” occurred during counting. Pro-VC (Administration) Professor Sohel Ahmed described the outcome as a “historic milestone” for Jahangirnagar’s campus politics, marking the revival of student union leadership after more than three decades.
With Zitu and Mazhar now at the helm, the focus shifts to whether the new Jucsu leadership can bridge deep divides among student groups and restore the long-dormant student body as a representative platform.