A total of 179 candidates have been cleared for contesting the long-awaited Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union elections, scheduled for September 11.
The JUCSU elections are going to be held after more than three decades, with the last one held in 1992.
Sompritir Oikya, an alliance of left-leaning student organisations, on Friday announced its panel for the elections. The alliance brings together leaders and activists from eight progressive student groups on campus.
The JUCSU election commission published the final list of candidates on Friday following scrutiny of the nomination papers.
According to the election commission, 10 aspirants will vie for the post of vice-president, while nine candidates will contest the position of general secretary.
Ten male contenders are vying for the post of assistant general secretary (male) while six female candidates are contesting the post of assistant general secretary (female).
For the education and research affairs secretary post, nine candidates are in the race, while six are contesting the environment and nature conservation affairs secretary post.
Eight candidates will run for the post of literature and publication affairs secretary, another eight for cultural affairs secretary and eight others for deputy cultural affairs secretary.
Five candidates are competing for the post of drama affairs secretary.
There are three candidates for sports affairs secretary. Six male and six female contenders contesting the two posts of deputy sports affairs secretary — one for male and another for female.
Seven candidates are vying for the IT and library affairs secretary and eight for human affairs secretary.
Only 38 among the 179 eligible candidates are women, while six out of the 25 posts are reserved for female students.
The publication of the final list marks a key step forward in the highly anticipated election, the first since 1992.
Student organisations on the JU campus have already intensified campaigns, with major platforms focusing on issues such as accommodation crisis, transport facilities, campus security and democratic student rights.
Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir, Bangladesh Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad and Sompritir Oikya, an alliance of left-leaning student organisations, have already declared their panels to contest the election.
Shompritir Oikya on Friday unveiled a line-up that underscores diversity across gender, ethnicity and religion.
The panel comprises 11 female and 14 male candidates, including seven students from indigenous communities representing both plain land and hill regions.
Reflecting Bangladesh’s pluralist fabric, the panel also includes 14 Muslim, six Hindu, three Buddhist, and two Christian candidates.
Amartya Ray, a 47th batch archaeology student and former president of the Bangladesh Students’ Union, has been nominated for the post of vice-president.
The alliance has named Shoron Ehsan, a 47th batch drama and dramatics student and former president of the Jahangirnagar Cultural Alliance, as its candidate for general secretary.
For the posts of assistant general secretaries, the panel nominated Nur-e-Tamim Srot, president of Zahir Raihan Film Society, and Faria Jaman Nicky, general secretary of Jahangirnagar Photographic Society.
Other key candidates include Sukanta Barmon, central organiser of the Bangladesh Koch-Rajbongshi-Barmon organisation, for education and research affairs secretary, and Soma Dumri, an organiser of Biplobi Chhatra Moitree, for environment and nature conservation affairs secretary.
The panel also nominated Rahathul Ferdous Ratri, president of cultural organisation Jolsiri, for the role of cultural secretary.
Meanwhile, the post of sports secretary has been left vacant in solidarity with national under-23 footballer Mahmudul Hasan Kiran.
Speaking about the panel’s vision, vice-president candidate Amartya Ray said, ‘Our candidacy is a pledge to build an inclusive, representative and secular platform that embodies the spirit of unity and harmony.’
