Some became ‘part of history’ some showed ‘courage’

In DUCSU election, Vice-Presidential candidate Rakibul Hasan secured just one vote. He has been actively searching for the person who cast it, as he himself had voted for another candidate.

According to the official results, his sole vote came from the female students’ Rokeya Hall. To identify the voter, Rakibul made a post on Facebook, where he even mentioned that he would marry her if found. However, he has yet to trace her.

Rakibul, a student of the Department of Islamic Studies at Dhaka University, told Prothom Alo that it had long been his desire to contest a DUCSU election. For him, the opportunity to participate itself was a significant milestone. His primary motivation for contesting the Vice-President position was to gain recognition, while he ensured his own vote was not wasted by supporting a preferred candidate.

Rakibul is not the only one. Two other VP candidates also received just a single vote. One of them was his friend, Sujon Hossain, also a student of the Department of Islamic Studies from the 2022–23 session. Speaking to Prothom Alo, Sujon said, ‘I wanted to become a part of history by contesting the DUCSU elections. Everyone knew I was standing as a light-hearted gesture. I never asked for votes and I did not even vote for myself.’

When asked how he still managed to secure one vote, Sujon added, ‘I too am looking for that person.’

Including Rakibul and Sujon, three candidates for the vice-president post each received only one vote. The third was Russell Haque, a student of the Department of Geography and Environment, who also secured a single vote.

On 9 September, a total of 45 candidates contested for VP post in the DUCSU elections. Of them, 23 received fewer than 10 votes each. Two candidates managed to secure exactly 10 votes, while the collective total of votes for these 23 candidates stood at 128.

By contrast, the winning candidate, Abu Sadik Kayem, representing the Chhatra Shibir-backed Oikkoboddho Shikkharthi Jote, received 14,042 votes. The runner-up, Abidul Islam Khan of the Chhatra Dal, obtained 5,708 votes.

For this year’s DUCSU elections, candidates were required to submit an application form along with a fee of Tk 300 to qualify for any post.

In DUCSU elections, 3 candidates contesting for the VP position secured two votes each. Among them was Md Habibullah, a student of the Department of Law, who entered the race with the aim of working for the welfare of students from the hill tracts.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Habibullah said that due to personal commitments before the elections, he could not campaign effectively. However, expressing that he was not disheartened by the result, he remarked, ‘If the elected candidates take up my aspirations and work for the welfare of underprivileged communities, I will give my utmost support to assist them.’

The two other candidates who received two votes each were Md Sohanur Rahman and Md Nasim Uddin.In DUCSU elections, 3 candidates contesting for the VP position secured two votes each. Among them was Md Habibullah, a student of the Department of Law, who entered the race with the aim of working for the welfare of students from the hill tracts.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Habibullah said that due to personal commitments before the elections, he could not campaign effectively. However, expressing that he was not disheartened by the result, he remarked, ‘If the elected candidates take up my aspirations and work for the welfare of underprivileged communities, I will give my utmost support to assist them.’

The two other candidates who received two votes each were Md Sohanur Rahman and Md Nasim Uddin.

The youngest candidate for the VP post was Md Mudabbir Rahman, a first-year student of the Department of History, who received three votes. His own vote was not among them, as he did not vote for himself. He is now keen to find the three students who supported him.

When asked why he chose to contest, Mudabbir told Prothom Alo: ‘I stood as a candidate to test whether we truly regained democracy after the 2024 mass uprising. I wanted to show that in a democracy, everyone has the opportunity to participate. My aim was also to engage directly with people on the ground and to understand the situation.’

Alongside Mudabbir, two other candidates, Shah Jamal Sayem and Md Helalur Rahman—also secured 3 votes each.

Commenting on his candidacy, Helalur Rahman, a student of the Department of Public Administration, explained that his father once casually suggested over the phone that he should consider contesting the DUCSU elections. Following that, he collected a nomination form and began campaigning on Facebook. However, after receiving little response, he stopped campaigning altogether. He neither sought votes from friends nor classmates, yet still received 3 votes which were surprising for him. Helalur himself had cast his ballot for a preferred candidate.

Another candidate, Md Russell Mahmud of the 2021–22 session from the Department of Islamic History and Culture, secured 7 votes. He explained his motivation by saying, ‘Those we entrusted with governing have been reinstating the previous regime. I thought, if others are failing to resist, why should I not try?

There were 5 female candidates for VP post in this year’s DUCSU elections. Among them, Jannati Bulbul from the Department of Sanskrit received just 6 votes, including her own. She admitted, ‘I had thought I would get at least 500 votes, but in the end, it was only six.’

Nonetheless, Jannati believes that the most important aspect was the courage to stand for the VP position in the first place.