Jamaat jubilant over Ducsu results; BNP dismayed but says it won’t affect national polls
Party leaders and political analysts believe that Ducsu’s outcome will not directly affect the upcoming national election
- BNP thinks Ducsu's outcome will not directly affect national poss
- BNP to learn from Ducsu mistakes
- Jamaat expects similar outcome in national elections
The landslide victory of Islami Chhatra Shibir in the Dhaka University Central Students' Union (Ducsu) election, coupled with the defeat of the BNP's student wing, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, has left the party leaders stunned.
The high command is deeply disappointed at such a debacle, yet the party now seeks to learn from this defeat and shape its future political strategy. Party leaders and political analysts believe that Ducsu's outcome will not directly affect the upcoming national election.
Jamaat, on the other hand, is elated by the result and hopes to see a repeat in the national polls.
Talking to TBS, several BNP leaders said they now feel they can clearly identify their political adversary. In particular, the party has begun thinking about how to counter Jamaat-e-Islami in the next general election.
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Former acting president of Chhatra Dal, Rashed Iqbal Khan, cited several reasons for the defeat: the organisation's long absence from halls and campus, failure to counter a Jamaat-leaning university administration, inability to identify and neutralise infiltrators, organisational stagnation, weak online campaigning, failure to counter propaganda, and inability to ride the wave of student movements after August. He added that years of anti-fascist struggles had drained Chhatra Dal's strength.
BNP leaders now believe the party must devise strategies to win people's trust in the upcoming national election. Strict action will also be taken against leaders and activists accused of extortion or muscle power. Discussions are underway about electoral alliances with partners, and some have urged the high command to remain alert against Jamaat's attempts to gain influence in the administration.
Some within the BNP also argue that allegations of extortion and land-grabbing against Chhatra Dal after 5 August, along with the propaganda that "Chhatra Dal will act like Chhatra League if BNP returns to power," hurt their image. Moreover, the early media trial of Chhatra Dal's VP candidate Abid on election day turned voters away, pushing many students with anti-Chhatra League sentiments toward Shibir instead.
Aminul Haque, convener of BNP's Dhaka North city unit, said: "We must identify and correct Chhatra Dal's mistakes in this election. Learning from errors, we need to move forward. We'll review with those who worked in Ducsu and ensure such lapses are not repeated in the future. Our goal should be to connect with ordinary people, win their trust, and implement our plans accordingly."
Mir Shahi Alam, vice president of Bogura BNP and president of Shibganj upazila BNP, said: "The Ducsu election result will have no effect on union or upazila polls. In national elections, people will vote according to their own convictions."
BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed congratulated the winning candidates of the Shibir-backed panel.
Referring to media reports, he added, "It is being said that the Shibir-backed panel has won. But they contested under the banner of Oikyoboddho Shikkharthi Jote (United Students' Alliance), while Chhatra Dal took part under its own name. Still, I extend my congratulations to them."
His fellow Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas alleged that Shibir's victory came through collusion with the Awami League: "I can't understand where Jamaat got so many votes at Dhaka University. This doesn't add up. I see this not just as rigging but as a sign of a deeper conspiracy in the country."
Meanwhile, Jamaat leaders and activists across levels are jubilant over Shibir-backed panel's victory in Ducsu.
Principal Maulana Abidur Rahman Sohel, Ameer of Bogura city Jamaat, said: "I believe some 3,000 students at DU are linked with Shibir politics. But one Shibir candidate received over 10,000 votes in Ducsu. This means students have embraced Shibir's political ideology. They have boycotted extortionists and the corrupt."
Sheikh Jahangir Hossain Helal, general secretary of Khulna city Jamaat, said: "The excitement over Ducsu was not limited to Dhaka. Since it's called a 'second parliament,' there was widespread interest nationwide, including in Khulna. We are hopeful that in the next national election, the people of Bangladesh will also choose peace and welfare."
Advocate Abdur Rahim, secretary of Naogaon Sadar upazila Jamaat, said: "Through ballots, DU students have shown a red card to tagging and framing, voting overwhelmingly for Shibir's panel. This Gen Z generation wants a politics of new intellectual practice, a politics of positivity, and a politics rooted in merit, knowledge, and science."
Professor Kazi Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman of Dhaka University's Political Science department observed: "There are differences in politics before and after Ducsu. Whether the result influences the national election depends on how the winners carry themselves. If they preserve their dignity and honour, that's one outcome; if not, another.
"However, the scale of Shibir's win will certainly influence political parties' thinking as they reflect on strategies to win over the masses."
