Saturday, September 13, marks the last day for candidates to withdraw their nominations for the Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union (RUCSU) election, with the final list of candidates set to be announced on Sunday, September 14. From that day onward, candidates will be allowed to begin their campaign activities.
As of Thursday afternoon, nine panels have been declared for the RUCSU election.
However, except for the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-backed student panel and the Islami Chhatra Shibir-backed panel, no student organisation or independent panel has been able to announce a complete slate of candidates.
According to the latest information from the Election Commission, 20 candidates will compete for the vice president (VP) position, 14 for general secretary (GS), and 16 for assistant general secretary (AGS).
The nine panels announced so far include the BNP-backed panel, the Islami Chhatra Shibir-supported “Sommilito Shikkharthi Jote,” “RUCSU for Radical Change,” “Ganatantrik Shikkarthi Parshad,” “Oporajeyo 71, Oprotiroddho 24,” “Adhipottobirodhi Oikkya,” “Sorbojonin Shikkharthi Shangshod,” “Shocheton Shikkharthi Parishad,” and the “Shotontro Shikkharthi Jote.”
Campus discussions suggest that the competition will likely be tight among six of these panels.
Among the leading candidates, Mostakur Rahman Zahid, president of the RU unit of Islami Chhatra Shibir, will contest the VP position from the Sommilito Shikkharthi Jote. Fazle Rabbi Md Fahim Reza, former coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, will compete for the GS position, while SM Salman Sabbir, president of Student Network Shocchar, will run for AGS.
From the BNP-backed panel, Sheikh Noor Uddin Abir, vice president of the university unit of Bangladesh Chhatra Dal, will contest for VP. Nafiul Jibon, the office secretary, will compete for GS, and Zahin Biswas Asha, joint general secretary, will run for AGS.
Mehedi Sazib, former coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, will contest for VP from the Adhipottobirodhi Oikkya panel. Salauddin Ammar will run for GS, and Akil Bin Taleb will compete for AGS.
The Ganatantrik Shikkarthi Parshad panel will see Fuad Ratul, convener of the Shomajtanrik Chhatra Front, contesting for VP, while Kausar Ahmed, treasurer of the Chhatra Union (one faction), will run for GS, and Nasim Sarkar, convener of Chhatra Ganamanch, will compete for AGS.
In the RUCSU for Radical Change panel, Mehedi Maruf, president of the Chhatra Odhikar Parishad, will contest for VP, while Afrin Jahan, former president of Uthan Lekhok and Pathok Sutikaghar, will compete for GS. Al Shahriyar Shuvo, general secretary of the Chhatra Odhikar Parishad, will run for AGS.
From the Sorbojonin Shikkharthi Parishad panel, Tasin Khan, former coordinator, will contest for VP. Rajan Al Ahmed, a Material Science and Engineering student, will run for GS, and Mahair Islam, a former coordinator, will compete for AGS. Notably, Tasin Khan will be the first female VP candidate in the 63-year history of RUCSU.
When asked about the election process, Chief Election Commissioner Professor AF Nazrul Islam confirmed that the last day for withdrawing nominations is Saturday, with the final list of candidates to be published on Sunday. Campaigning will begin the same day, with candidates allowed to campaign in compliance with the code of conduct.
According to the latest revised schedule, the deadline for withdrawal of nominations is September 13, with the final list of candidates to be published on September 14.
Campaigning will officially commence that day, and voting will take place on September 25 from 9am to 4pm at the academic building, with vote counting and result announcements on the same day.
