The election commission for the Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union and hall elections on Sunday published the final list of candidates, clearing 247 contestants for 23 posts.
The commission published the final list of candidates on the RUCSU’s official web site.
According to the list, 18 candidates are set to contest the vice-president post, 13 general secretary post, and 16 assistant general secretary post in the RUCSU elections slated for September 25.
Besides, eight candidates will vie for sports secretary post, six for assistant sports secretary, 10 for cultural affairs secretary, nine for assistant cultural affairs secretary, six for women affairs secretary, eight for assistant women affairs secretary, 13 for information and research affairs secretary, eight for assistant information and research affairs secretary, nine for media and publication secretary, nine for assistant media and publication secretary, nine for science and technology secretary, eight for assistant science and technology secretary, six for debate and literature secretary, eight for debate and literature secretary, 12 for environment and social welfare secretary and 16 for assistant environment and social welfare secretary.
Besides, 55 candidates will vie for five posts of RUCSU’s executive members.
In addition, 58 candidates were also cleared for the five senate representative posts.
Earlier, the commission allotted ballot numbers for candidates in the RUCSU and Senate student representative elections through a lottery at the university’s Senate Bhaban in the afternoon.
The lottery was held in a festive atmosphere in the presence of candidates contesting various posts, formally marking the start of electioneering.
Meanwhile, two panels of independent candidates were announced on Sunday for the RUCSU elections.
The panels, named Independent Student Alliance and United for Rights, were unveiled at separate press conferences held at the university’s Transport Market.
With these, 11 panels entered the RUCSU election race till Sunday.
The Independent Student Alliance panel nominated Ashikullah Muhib for vice-president, Abdul Mukit for general secretary and Abu Kalam Azad, joint convener of the Bangladesh Students’ Federation, for information and research secretary.
Two contestants will vie for executive member posts from the panel, while other positions were left vacant, with a call for independent candidates to join the slate.
Vice-president candidate Muhib said that independent contenders like them did not enjoy financial and logistical advantages as party-backed candidates did.
‘That is why we have united under a single platform, and we invite other independents to come forward,’ he said.
Later, about 1:30pm, another group of aspirants announced an 11-member panel under the banner of United for Rights. This panel excluded the key posts of VP, GS and AGS, but fielded candidates for a range of other positions.
In a written statement, assistant information and research secretary candidate Nabil Bin Zaker said that for years, general students had no space to voice their concerns.
‘Instead of a functional student union, ruling student organisations resorted to seat trading, extortion, repression and silencing dissent. Even after the July uprising, the risk of division and patronage politics remains. That is why students from different faculties, departments and halls have come together to form a non-partisan platform,’ he said.
