Ducsu election: Who are VP and GS candidates?

The Dhaka University Central Students' Union (Ducsu) election is set to take place on 9 September. Major student organisations have already announced their panels for the key positions of vice president (VP) and general secretary (GS), with candidates ranging from established campus figures to newcomers. Independent student groups have also fielded panels, putting up a strong challenge for the top two posts.

Chhatra Dal candidates

From the BNP's student wing, Chhatra Dal, the VP race will feature Md Abidul Islam Khan, joint secretary of the DU unit of JCD and a student of Islamic Studies from the 2015-16 session at Jasimuddin Hall.

A former senior vice-president of the hall unit, Abid came to prominence during the July uprising with his call, "Please, no one leave anyone behind." He later authored a book on the events titled "Sphulingo Theke Dabanol (From Spark to Conflagration). Between 2016 and 2024, he also taught English at the university admission coaching centre UCC.

Chhatra Dal's GS candidate is Sheikh Tanvir Bari Hamim, convener of the Jasimuddin Hall unit of JCD and a student of Women and Gender Studies from the 2018-19 session. Since the uprising, he has been active on campus through "Komol Medi Aid", a social and cultural platform providing telemedicine services, health camps, sanitary vending machines for female students, and sports tournaments.

Shibir nominees

From Jamaat-backed Islami Chhatra Shibir, the VP candidate is the organisation's central publication secretary Sadiq Kayem, a Political Science student from the 2016-17 session of Surya Sen Hall. He previously served as president and general secretary of Shibir's DU unit, as well as president of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Students' Council.

The GS candidate from Shibir is SM Farhad, current president of its DU unit and a student at the Institute of Social Welfare and Research from the 2017-18 session. He earlier served as the unit's general secretary and was also president of Jasimuddin Hall Debating Club and of the Hill Tracts Students' Council.

Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad

The Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad has put forward Abdul Kader, convenor of its DU unit, as its VP candidate. A student at the Institute of Social Welfare and Research (2018-19 academic year), Kader is a resident of Bijoy Ekattor Hall. A key coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, he rose to prominence during the July Mass Uprising when he declared the nine-point demands during the curfew. Before the uprising, Kader was involved in the politics of Chhatra Odhikar Parishad and Ganatantrik Chhatra Shakti at Dhaka University.

The GS candidate for this panel is Abu Bakar Majumdar, one of the six coordinators taken into custody by the Detective Branch (DB) during the uprising. Majumdar, who is also the central convener of the Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad, is a residential student of Fazlul Haque Muslim Hall from the Department of Geology. He previously served as the member secretary of the Ganatantrik Chhatra Shakti's Dhaka University unit.

Left-wing alliance

The "Protirodh Parishad," an alliance of left-wing student organisations, has nominated Sheikh Tasnim Afroze Imi from the Department of Sociology for the VP position. In the 2019 DUCSU election, she was elected VP of the Shamsunnahar Hall Sangsad on an independent panel. Imi was a member of the National Citizens' Committee and also served as the general secretary of the TSC-based cultural organisation "Slogan-71."

For the GS post, the panel's candidate is Meghmallar Bosu, president of the Dhaka University unit of the Bangladesh Chhatra Union (a faction). A student of the Department of Peace and Conflict Studies (2015-16 academic year), Meghmallar has become a familiar face in various recent campus movements.

Independent alliance: Swatantra Shikkharthi Oikya

The "Swatantra Shikkharthi Oikya" panel is led by Umama Fatima, a former spokesperson for the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, as its VP candidate. A resident of Kabi Sufia Kamal Hall from the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (2018-19 academic session), Umama played an active role in the student movement. She previously served as the member secretary of the Chhatra Federation's Dhaka University unit.

The alliance's GS candidate is Al Sadi Bhuiyan, a student in the Department of Anthropology (2016-17 academic year). Sadi was elected literary secretary of the Surya Sen Hall Sangsad as an independent candidate in the 2019 DUCSU election. He also served as the president of the Dhaka University Journalists' Association.

Islami Chhatra Andolon

Islami Chhatra Andolan's VP candidate is Yasin Arafat, former president of the organisation's Dhaka University unit. Its GS candidate is Khairul Ahsan Marzan, assistant secretary general of the organisation's central committee and a student of the Department of International Relations (2018-19 academic year).

Chhatra Odhikar Parishad

Bin Yamin Molla, the central president of the Chhatra Odhikar Parishad, is the VP candidate from the organisation. A former student of the Department of Public Administration, Bin Yamin was a key figure in the quota reform movement.

The panel's GS candidate is Sabina Yasmin, the organisation's vice president and a student from the 2018-19 academic year.

Other independent candidates

The Samanwito Shikkharthi Sangsad panel has nominated Jamaluddin Muhammad Khalid, convener of the Swadhin Bangladesh Chhatra Sangsad, for the VP post. Khalid, a student of the Department of Arabic (2018-19 academic year), previously served as the president of the Islami Chhatra Andolan's Dhaka University unit.

The same panel's GS candidate is Mahin Sarkar, a student of the Department of Bengali (2018-19 academic year). He played a significant role in the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement before joining the NCP to enter national politics.

Additionally, Julius Caesar is running as an independent VP candidate. In the 2019 DUCSU election, he was elected GS of the Salimullah Muslim Hall on the Bangladesh Chhatra League's panel. He had previously served as a joint general secretary on the Chhatra League's hall committee.