JUCSU election: Organisational weakness behind Chhatra Dal’s major fall

In the Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (JUCSU) elections of 1990, 1991 and 1992, the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal earned consecutive victories. After 33 years, as JUCSU elections were finally held, supporters and activists had expected JCD to maintain that dominance. However, due to various organisational weaknesses and other factors, the outcome proved otherwise.

In the JUCSU elections held on 11 September, the Chhatra Dal candidates failed to secure victory even in a single one of the 25 posts. In all 24 positions, including the positions of Vice-President and General Secretary, their candidates finished in fourth and fifth places, while only the candidate for Secretary of Health and Food Security managed to secure second place. Towards the end of polling, Chhatra Dal withdrew from the elections, alleging vote rigging.

Inquiries with current and former Chhatra Dal activists as well as several teachers revealed that the absence of proper planning, internal divisions, negative tagging politics and the wider perception of the BNP’s activities in different arenas created a negative impression among voters.

Following the mass uprising, students demanded JUCSU elections, and discussions also arose about banning partisan student politics on campus. Before this debate had subsided, Chhatra Dal announced a convening committee comprising individuals from the 39th and 40th batches, who were 13–14 years senior to current students. Each time the university administration expressed a positive stance towards holding JUCSU elections, Chhatra Dal indirectly pushed for postponement, ultimately resulting in three delays.

Leaders and activists noted that within Chhatra Dal there was a prevailing belief that the JUCSU elections would not actually take place. As a result, no candidate was adequately prepared in advance to contest. On 8 August, the central Chhatra Dal expanded the hall committees in 17 residential halls and extended the university unit of Chhatra Dal committee. This decision sparked resentment among members of the Ganotantrik Chhatra Sangsad and general students, who protested on campus. For nine consecutive days, senior Chhatra Dal leaders were unable to enter campus due to opposition from those excluded from the committees. Even when central leaders, including the General Secretary, Nasir Uddin Nasir, arrived on campus, the situation yielded little result. Several physical altercations also took place between rival groups.

According to party sources, the top five leaders of the university unit of Chhatra Dal each maintain their own separate circles of influence. Candidate selection for JUCSU was often based on factional allegiance rather than merit. Furthermore, the involvement of a pro-BNP teacher in panel formation was widely apparent. Chhatra Dal also faced allegations of politically tagging students who voiced criticism or posted on social media, which many viewed as resembling the approach of the now-banned Chhatra League.

Commenting on the overall situation, Wasim Ahmed, Member Secretary of the university unit of Chhatra Dal, said, “For the past 15 years, other student organisations have maintained collaborative activities with various groups, from which they have benefitted. Admittedly, there were shortcomings in Chhatra Dal’s preparations for the JUCSU election. We intend to address these and move forward.”