JUCSU election today after 33 years

Jahangirnagar University Central Students' Union (JUCSU) and hall unions' elections are being held today, Thursday after 33 years.

Voting will take place on Thursday, from 9:00am to 5:00pm.

In preparation for the election, the university administration has made extensive arrangements, including heightened security. Students have expressed excitement at the opportunity to vote.

Mosaddekur Momin, a residential student of Shahid Rafiq-Jabbar Hall at Jahangirnagar University, told Prothom Alo: “After so many years, JUCSU elections are finally being held. While interest was low at first, it has grown significantly. Students will vote according to their own judgment.”

A look back at JUCSU: Only 9 elections in 53 years

Jahangirnagar University officially began its journey 54 years ago, on 12 January 1971, with 21 teachers and 150 students across four departments. After the Liberation War, JUCSU was established in 1972, and its first election was held that same year.

At that time, the campus was largely influenced by Chhatra League and JASAD Chhatra League. In the first election, Golam Morshed was elected Vice President (VP), and Shah Borhanuddin Rokon of JASAD Chhatra League was elected General Secretary (GS).

According to two former students, Golam Morshed was not directly involved in politics but was closely aligned with JASAD Chhatra League.
JUCSU elections were held in 1972, 1973, and 1974 for three consecutive years, but the trend did not continue. Between 1972 and 1992, elections were held only nine times in total. Since 1992, no elections had been held—until now.

The 1973 JUCSU election was particularly controversial. Several students from the university’s first batch reported that Chhatra League leaders and activists came from Dhaka and seized ballot papers, resulting in a reported voter turnout of over 90 per cent.

In that same year, 1973, then-GS of JUCSU, Mozammel Haque, a Chhatra League leader, was shot dead in his own room at Al-Biruni Hall.
Earlier, in 1972, Shah Borhanuddin—the first JUCSU GS and a JASAD Chhatra League leader—was murdered in Narayanganj. Both killings were reportedly the result of local political rivalries.

Nurul Haque, who was a GS candidate from the Chhatra Union in the 1973 election, told Prothom Alo that eyewitnesses had reported the assailants chanted slogans in the name of the “Sarbahara Party” while fleeing after killing Mozammel.

Later, elections were held in 1980, 1981, 1989, 1990, 1991, and 1992. In the last election in 1992, Chhatra Dal won overwhelmingly, securing 105 out of 107 positions in JUCSU and the hall unions.

Former JUCSU Vice President (1990) Ashrafuddin Khan told Prothom Alo, "During our time, we may not have been able to do much work within the university itself, but we contributed even more at the national level. JUCSU played a significant role in the anti-autocracy movement against Ershad."

After the return to democracy in 1991, student union elections in universities were discontinued. The student organisations affiliated with whichever party was in power at the time used to control the campuses and occupy the dormitories. Out of fear of losing and losing control over the halls, those in power did not allow student union elections to take place. The same happened with JUCSU.

In fact, the JUCSU election scheduled after 1992 was canceled due to an unexpected incident. Conversations with teachers and students from that time reveal that there were several factions among the university's faculty. On 29 July 1993, during an election to choose teacher representatives for the university syndicate, one faction of teachers allegedly used JUCSU representatives and students to attack other teachers in an attempt to disrupt the election. Several teachers were injured in the attack. Following this, the JUCSU president (the Vice-Chancellor) dissolved the union.

After the mass uprising in July 2024, student union elections were held at Dhaka University on Tuesday. There, the student organisation Islami Chhatra Shibir won 23 out of the 28 central union positions. Today is the JUCSU election. The election at Rajshahi University will be held on 25 September and Chittagong University’s student union election is scheduled for 12 October.

There are a total of 11,743 registered voters in the Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (JUCSU) election. Among them, 5,728 are female students and 6,015 are male students. A total of 177 candidates are contesting for 25 positions in the central student union. Elections for 21 hall unions will also be held simultaneously.

There are 9 candidates for the position of Vice President (VP), and 8 candidates for the position of General Secretary (GS).

There are 6 candidates for the Joint General Secretary (female) position, and there are 10 candidates for the Joint General Secretary (male).

Each hall union has 15 positions, meaning a total of 315 positions across the 21 halls. For these, 477 candidates are contesting.

In the 10 residential halls for female students, out of 150 total positions, 59 have no candidates at all, and 67 positions have only one candidate each. As a result, voting will take place in just 24 positions in the female halls.

A total of seven panels are contesting in the JUCSU election. Of these, four are full panels and three are partial panels.

The full panels are the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal-backed panel, Samonitto Shikharti Jote backed by Chhatra Shibir, Progotishil Shikhartider Sampritir Oikya and Shikharti Oikya Forum backed by Ganotantrik Chhatra Sangsad.

The partial panels are: Santanra Shikharti Sammillon, Satantra Angikar Parishad and Chhatra Union and Chhatra Fronter Sangshaptak Parshod.

In addition to these, many independent candidates are also contesting the election.

It is expected that the main competition in the JUCSU election will be among the Ganotantrik Chhatra Sangsad, Islami Chhatra Shibir, Santanra Shikharti Sammillon led by Abdur Rashid Jitu, former central coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, and the Chhatra Dal-supported panel. Some independent candidates may also remain competitive in the race.

The election schedule for JUCSU was announced on 10 August. During the campaign, candidates made various promises. Most of them pledged to eliminate the culture of “guest rooms” and “common rooms” (where freshmen are often subjected to harassment under the guise of learning discipline), resolve the housing crisis, ensure safety, address transportation issues, improve food quality, establish a student-friendly campus, and free student politics from partisan influence.

Zahidul Islam, the GS candidate from the Sangsaptak Panel, told Prothom Alo,

"In the past, we progressive students have acted as the voice of the general student body against the Chhatra League's abuse of common rooms and guest rooms. Through JUCSU, our first goal will be to completely eradicate these harmful practices."

A total of 13,300 ballot papers have been printed for the election. Voting will take place across 21 centres, with 224 booths set up. There will be 21 returning officers, 67 polling officers, and 67 assistant polling officers on duty.

According to the university administration, over 1,000 police personnel will be deployed at various entry points and key locations on campus, with the number subject to increase if needed. Most of the police officers will be stationed outside the campus area. Ansar personnel will be responsible for security inside the polling centres.

To monitor security at the polling stations, approximately 80 CCTV (closed-circuit) cameras have been installed. Under the supervision of the election commission, these cameras will be used to observe the situation inside the polling centres. A monitoring team consisting of senior faculty members, the proctorial body, and campus security officials will oversee the entire campus. Additionally, two magistrates will be present.

Professor Mafruhi Sattar, a member of the JUCSU Election Commission, told Prothom Alo,

"If a voter makes a mistake on the ballot paper for any reason, they must inform the designated polling officials. In such cases, the incorrect ballot will be canceled, and a new one will be issued. That’s why extra ballot papers have been printed."

There was a protest and an incident of confining the Vice-Chancellor over the cancellation of the candidacy of Amartya Roy John, the VP candidate from the Unity for Harmony panel. His candidacy was canceled by the Election Commission due to the fact that he was no longer a regular student. He took the matter to court. The High Court ordered that his candidacy be reinstated, but the Chamber Court of the Appellate Division later suspended that order for eight weeks. As a result, he is no longer eligible to contest the election.

Other than this incident, there have been no major complaints from candidates regarding the election so far. Arif Ullah, the VP candidate from the Samonitto Shikharti Jote supported by Islami Chhatra Shibir, told Prothom Alo, "At present, the overall situation of the election seems normal. However, the university administration had said that former students would not be allowed to stay on campus — they have not been able to enforce that. We had requested that candidates be allowed to appoint polling agents to ensure transparency, but the administration did not accept that request. Also, the results of the candidates’ drug tests (dope tests) have not been made public."

He added, "Despite all this, I still hope the administration will deliver a fair and smooth election."