Independent candidate Abdur Rashid Zitu has been elected vice president (VP) and Islami Chhatra Shibir’s Mazharul Islam general secretary (GS) in the Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (JUCSU) election, held after 33 years.
Chief Election Commissioner Prof Md Maniruzzaman announced the results from the university’s Senate hall on Saturday after a marathon vote-counting process that stretched more than 45 hours.
Zitu, a student of the Institute of Comparative Literature and Culture, is a former central coordinator of the Students Against Discrimination movement and convenor of the Gono Obbhutthan Rokkha Andolon. He contested the election from the Independent Student Alliance panel.
Meanwhile, Mazharul is a Master’s student in the Department of English. He ran as a candidate from the panel backed by Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami.
The declared tallies showed Zitu receiving 3,334 votes. His closest rival, Islami Chhatra Shibir’s Arif Ullah Adib, secured 2,389 votes.
Mazharul won the GS post with 3,930 votes, defeating Bangladesh Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangshad (BGCS) candidate Abu Tauhid Mohammad Siam, who received 1,238 votes.
Both assistant general secretary (AGS) positions also went to candidates -- Ferdous Al Hasan (2,358) and Ayesha Siddiqua Meghla (3,402).
Of the 25 secretary posts, the majority were won by candidates from the Shibir-backed panel.
OTHER VICTORS
- Education and research secretary –- Abu Ubaida Usama (Shibir) | 2,428 votes
- Environment and nature conservation secretary –- Md Safayet Mir (Shibir) | 2,811 votes
- Literature and publication secretary -– Md Zahidul Islam (Shibir) | 1,907 votes
- Cultural secretary -– Mohibullah Sheikh Jisan (Independent) | 2,018 votes
- Assistant cultural secretary -– Md Raihan Uddin (Shibir) | 1,986 votes
- Drama secretary -– Md Ruhul Islam (Shibir) | 1,929 votes
- Sports secretary -– Mahmudul Hasan Kiron (Independent) | 5,778 votes
- Assistant sports secretary (female) -– Farhana Akter Lubna (Shibir) | 1,986 votes
- Assistant sports secretary (male) –- Md Mahadi Hasan (Shibir) | 2,105 votes
- Information technology and library secretary -– Md Rashedul Islam Likhon (Shibir) | 2,436 votes
- Social service and human resource development secretary -– Ahsan Labib (BGCS) | 1,690 votes
- Assistant social service and human resource development secretary (female) -– Nigar Sultana (Shibir) | 2,442 votes
- Assistant social service and human resource development secretary (male) -– Md Touhid Hasan (Shibir) | 2,442 votes
- Health and food security secretary -– Husni Mubarak (Shibir) | 2,653 votes
- Transport and communication secretary -– Md Tanvir Rahman (Shibir) | 2,559 votes
EXECUTIVE MEMBERS
- Md Tarikul Islam (Male, Shibir) | 1,746 votes
- Md Abu Talha (Male, Shibir) | 1,854 votes
- Md Mohsin (Male, Shibir) | 2,414 votes
- Nabila Binte Harun (Female, Shibir) | 2,750 votes
- Fabliha Jahan (Female, Shibir) | 2,475 votes
- Nusrat Jahan Ema (Female, Shibir) | 3,014 votes
SHIBIR BREAKTHROUGH
With this result, Jamaat-e-Islami's student front Shibir, which had never before secured a post in JUCSU, has now taken control of another student union after their sweeping victory in the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) election.
The JUCSU polls at the Savar campus, just outside Dhaka, drew nationwide attention, taking place only two days after the DUCSU election.
TURNOUT AND DELAYS
Out of nearly 12,000 students on the campus, the Election Commission reported that about 68 percent cast their votes on Thursday. Counting began at 10pm the same night, with results only being announced after a lengthy delay.
The election will be remembered not only for allegations of irregularities and boycotts by most panels, but also for the death of a faculty member engaged in election duties during the prolonged vote count.
The main disruption came when the Election Commission abandoned machine counting and decided to tally votes manually amid allegations of irregularities. The change followed claims that ballot papers and OMR machines had been purchased from a company linked to Jamaat, leading to chaos and delays.
Since JUCSU’s inception in 1972, this was the 10th edition of the polls, which students had eagerly awaited. Student organisations had long been vocal in their demand for the election.
In the new political landscape after the fall of the Awami League regime in August 2024, the JUCSU election was finally held on Sept 11 after repeated delays.
Candidates from at least seven panels, including the BNP’s student wing Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, Shibir, BGCS, leftist-progressive groups, as well as numerous independent candidates, contested the polls.
