Shibir Wins Historic DUCSU Election
Shibir-Backed Candidates Make Historic Win in Dhaka University Student Union Elections
Dhaka – After a six-year hiatus, Dhaka University’s campus came alive with student election fever as the polls recorded a remarkable 78% turnout among 39,775 eligible voters across eight campus centers. The Returning Office described the elections as being conducted in a “festive atmosphere.”
Abu Shadik Kayem, representing the “Oikyaboddho Shikkharthi Jote” panel, secured the Vice President position with 14,042 votes, defeating his closest competitor, Abidul Islam Khan, backed by the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, who received 5,708 votes. Independent candidate Umama Fatema garnered 3,389 votes.
For the General Secretary post, SM Farhad from the same Shibir-supported panel emerged victorious with 10,794 votes, while Mohiuddin Khan, also affiliated with Shibir, was elected Assistant General Secretary. The official results were declared by the university’s Senate Bhaban and are available in the university’s records.
Both Shadik and Farhad are key figures in Shibir’s Dhaka University unit, with Shadik serving as the former president and Farhad as the current general secretary. Previously, they had concealed their Shibir affiliations by posing as members of the Chhatra League but openly aligned with Shibir following the mass uprising in July, which led to the ouster of Sheikh Hasina’s government on August 5 last year. Shibir has been historically banned from campus activities since 1990.
This election marks the first time Shibir-backed candidates have claimed top DUCSU posts since Bangladesh’s independence. Historically, leftist panels dominated in the 1970s and 1980s, followed by alternating victories from the Chhatra League, Chhatra Dal, and other student organizations.
However, the results have sparked controversy. Abidul Islam Khan called the election a “planned farce,” saying, “Keep the figures as you wish. I reject this planned farce.” Umama Fatema also expressed her discontent on Facebook, calling the process “shamelessly rigged” and accusing the university administration of being “run by Shibir loyalists,” a claim she said dishonored the nation after the August 5 events.
This ninth DUCSU election since 1971 (with the 1973 polls invalidated due to ballot snatching) highlights shifting student politics amid Bangladesh’s recent political upheavals.
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