SUCSU election: Few women candidates over fear of ‘tagging and bullying’

A total of 97 candidates are contesting for various posts in the Shahjalal University Central Students’ Union (SUCSU) election at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) in Sylhet.

Of them, only seven are women. None of the female candidates is contesting for a top post. Some women candidates submitted nomination papers but later withdrew. Candidates and female students say participation by women has been low due to fears of tagging, cyberbullying, and the country’s political culture.

According to the final list of candidates for the SUCSU election, a total of seven women are contesting—four for the post of Women’s Affairs Secretary, one for Law and Human Rights Secretary, and only two for member posts.

The remaining 90 candidates are men. By this count, women make up just 7.21 per cent of total candidates contesting in the central students’ union election.

According to the voter list, SUST has a total of 9,015 voters, of whom 3,210 are women—around 35.6 per cent of the electorate. Compared to the number of women voters, women candidates account for only 0.21 per cent in the central students’ union election. Initially, 15 women had collected nomination forms for the central council, but according to the final list, only seven women are now contesting.

So far, three panels have been announced for the SUCSU election. A review of the panels shows that the Chhatra Dal–backed Somonnito SUSTian Oikya panel includes one woman candidate. Three women candidates are contesting under the Chhatra Shibir–backed Durbaar SUSTian Oikya panel. Two women candidates are on the independent candidates’ panel, Sadharoner Oikya Swor. In addition, one woman is contesting independently for the post of Women’s Affairs Secretary outside any panel.

Why Is Women’s Participation So Low?

Tasmima Mahfuz, who is contesting for the post of Law and Human Rights Secretary in SUCSU, told Prothom Alo that the first reason is reluctance among women themselves. “Before 5 August, women were very aware and active. After that, many thought everyone on campus would work together. But that did not happen.

Now there is a perception that those who come to power will change and act in their own interests. Moreover, seeing the situation in the four universities where elections were recently held, many were discouraged from becoming candidates,” she said.

A female student who submitted her nomination but later withdrew her candidacy told Prothom Alo, “I was invited to contest under various party-backed panels. But I initially collected the form as an independent candidate. After becoming a candidate, I realised how frightening Bangladesh’s political culture can be. Whether you run independently or with a party, there is always the fear of tagging and bullying. Various propaganda would be spread on social media, which is extremely discouraging for women candidates.”

SUCSU election spokesperson and Political Studies Department professor Md Nazrul Islam pointed to two main reasons for the low number of women candidates. “First, female students are generally busy with their studies. Although SUCSU is a non-political platform, political engagement is still involved. There are political discussions, and the work requires a significant time commitment. Even after being elected, there is a lot of responsibility. Many female students may feel this could harm their academic pursuits,” he said.

“Second, in recent student union elections at other universities, a large number of women candidates participated and won. But after being elected, women candidates in particular were subjected to cyberbullying, shaming, and harassment for political reasons, both online and offline. These experiences may have discouraged women from contesting in the SUCSU election. For the same reasons, families also tend to discourage female students from becoming candidates,” he added.