A total of 276 nomination forms have been submitted to vie for 25 posts in the Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union elections as the deadline for submitting nomination papers ended on Thursday.
Election commissioner Professor Mafruhi Satter said on Thursday that 467 more nomination forms were also submitted for elections to the university’s 11 male and 10 female hall unions. Each of the hall unions has 15 posts.
The elections are scheduled for September 11.
‘The draft candidate list will be published on August 25, while withdrawals will be allowed until August 28’, the election commissioner said.
He said that the final list would be announced on August 29, and campaigning would run from August 29 to September 9.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir’s JU unit has announced a 25-member panel under the banner ‘Combined Student Alliance’, while six other expected panels are yet to be announced.
Shibir included women, physically challenged students, and individuals injured during the July Uprising on its panel.
Pharmacy department’s Arifullah Adib will contest for the post of vice-president, while Mazharul Islam of the English department will vie for the post of general secretary.
Ferous Al Hasan of archaeology and Ayesha Siidika Meghla of philosophy will vie for the posts of assistant general secretary posts under Shibir’s panel.
Shibir included six female candidates to appeal to the university’s 5,817 female voters, out of a total of 11,919 registered voters.
At least seven panels are expected to vie in the polls.
Besides Shibir, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, Bangladesh Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad, two left-leaning and cultural alliances, Gono-Abhyutthan Rokhha Andolon, and an independent platform of students, journalists and activists are expected to announce panels to contest in the polls, according to leaders of the organisations.
JU Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal president Jahir Uddin Babor said that his organization would announce its panel on August 25.
JU unit joint convener of Bangladesh Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad, Md Nazmul Islam, resigned on Wednesday night, alleging nepotism and disregard for dedicated activists.
He later distributed sweets on campus and announced plans to contest independently or with another panel.
Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad’s member secretary Abu Touhid Md Siam, however, denied the allegations, saying that leadership choices were merit-based and Nazmul’s resignation letter had not been received.
To ensure security, the JU election commission has written to the army chief, requesting deployment of troops on the election day, as well as the day before and the day after the election.
Election commission member secretary and JU proctor AKM Rashidul Alam said that additional measures had been taken to strengthen campus security, with police and intelligence agencies also set to be engaged.
The last JUCSU election was held in 1992, when the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal secured the top posts. The unions were dissolved in 1993 after an attack on the university teachers’ club.