In the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) election, 7 female candidates have won out of a total of 28 positions. This means that one out of every four elected candidates is a woman, which is 25%.
However, in this election, out of a total of 471 candidates, only 62 were female, representing 13% of the total candidates. Naturally, despite women comprising 48% of the voters, their participation in the election was relatively low.
Among the elected female candidates, 3 won editorial positions and 4 won member positions. There are no female candidates in the top positions.
Several candidates have alleged that in this DUCSU election, due to the administration’s lack of effective measures and issues like cyberbullying and harassment of women, female candidates could not participate freely in campaigning. However, the elected candidates have secured their positions amid discussions and criticisms.
Sanjida Ahmed Tanni, who was injured in a Chhatra League attack on July 15 during the July movement, won the position of Research and Publication Secretary with 11,778 votes. She is a student from the 2019-20 academic year in Clinical Psychology.
After Tanni’s candidacy was announced, the “Anti-Discrimination Student Parliament” supported by the Bangladesh Democratic Student Council and the Abid-Hamim-Mayeed Council supported by Chhatra Dal did not nominate any candidate for that position.
On the other hand, Fatima Tasnim Juma, candidate for Liberation War and Democratic Movement from the Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir-supported “United Student Alliance” panel, won with 10,631 votes. She is a student from the 2021-22 academic year in the Department of Criminology.
Previously, she had stirred some controversy for saying, “the Chakmas had no stake in the Liberation War.” The “United Student Alliance” panel raised several allegations of cyberbullying against her on social media.
Umme Salma, candidate for Common Room, Reading Room, and Cafeteria Secretary from this panel, won with 9,920 votes. She is a student from the 2020-21 academic year in the English Department. She and her husband, Raihan Uddin, an executive member candidate from the same panel, are the only couple in the DUCSU election.
Hema Chakma was elected as an executive member with 4,908 votes from the left-leaning student organisations’ alliance “Protirodh Porshad”. She is a student from the 2020-21 academic year at the Institute of Health Economics. During the election campaign, she faced criticism over allegations of involvement with Chhatra League. There are claims that she was the cultural assistant secretary of the banned organisation’s Institute of Health Economics branch.
Sakibur Nahar Tamanna won the executive member position with 10,084 votes from the “United Student Alliance” panel. She is a student from the 2019-20 academic year in the Department of Botany. On the first day of the election campaign, her campaign board’s picture was vandalised. However, Tamanna, undeterred, used the damaged picture as part of her campaign and gained attention. She is the president of the Dhaka University Female Students’ Organisation.
In the election, Musa Afsana Akter won the executive member position with 5,747 votes from the Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir-supported “United Student Alliance” panel. She is a student from the 2019-2020 academic year in the Department of Islamic History and Culture. Notably, Afsana is the general secretary of the DU Female Students’ Organisation.
Independent candidate Umme Usawatul Rafia won the executive member position with 4,209 votes. She is a student from the 2022-23 academic year in the Department of Law. Before the election, she gained attention for campaigning in a novel way. In one Facebook post, she wrote, “Though Dhanmondi 32 may be bad, Ballot 32 is just the opposite.”
In the previous 2019 DUCSU election, a total of 6 female candidates won out of 25 positions.
The 6 elected female candidates in the 2019 election were: Common Room and Cafeteria Secretary BM Lipi Akter, International Affairs Secretary Shahrima Tanjima Orni, and members Sabrina Iti, Farida Parvin, Nipu Islam Tanni, and Tilottama Sikdar.
