Countdown to Ducsu 2025: Everything you need to know about voting and candidacy

After a long wait, the much-anticipated Dhaka University Central Students' Union (Ducsu) election is set to take place on 9 September. This will be the first Ducsu election since 2019, and the excitement among students is already palpable. 

Posters are being drafted, alliances are forming, and conversations in tea stalls and dormitories are once again buzzing with politics and possibilities.

To help students navigate the rules and procedures, the DU authorities have issued clear instructions on voter eligibility, candidate requirements, campaign conduct, and voting procedures.

Who can vote or run for Ducsu?

As per the 16 June syndicate meeting, only full-time students are eligible to vote or contest. This includes those currently enrolled in bachelor's, master's, or MPhil programs through regular admission who are also residents or attached to residential halls.
Students from evening programs, professional or executive master's programs, diploma or certificate courses, or affiliated colleges and institutes are not eligible to participate.

Voting centres and the process

Chief Returning Officer Professor Mohammad Jasim Uddin told The Business Standard that one booth will be set up for every 75 students, with over 500 booths planned to accommodate approximately 40,000 voters. Each voter will get up to 5 minutes to cast their votes.

Every hall will have two returning officers appointed by the Ducsu Election Commission. 

Teachers will serve as polling officers, supported by DU staff. For better oversight, a member of the central election commission will be present at each of the 6 voting centres, all coordinated by the Chief Returning Officer.

Voting will take place from 8am to 3pm, an hour longer than in 2019. This year, all voting booths will be set up outside the halls, with the 19 halls grouped into six central voting centres.

Due to the inclusion of four new positions in the revised charter, students will now vote for a total of 41 posts: 28 in the central body and 13 in hall unions. The Election Commission will share ballot paper samples and instructional videos ahead of the election.

Each voter's identity will be verified using QR codes on their registration info at the centre, ensuring accuracy and transparency.

Candidacy & nomination

Nomination forms will be distributed from 12 to 18 August (10am-4pm). Forms must be submitted by 3pm on 19 August. A nominal fee may be charged, but it has not been confirmed yet. Hall union aspirants will collect their forms from respective halls, while central candidates will collect them from the Senate Building.

Campaign rules & student participation

Campaigns must follow strict codes of conduct. Processions, motorcades, rallies, and the use of rickshaws or any animal for campaign purposes are banned. Campaigning is allowed from the finalisation of the candidate list until the night before the vote, between 10am and 11pm, with no microphones allowed after 10pm.

Each candidate may organise one projection meeting in each hall and up to three university-wide meetings, subject to prior approval from the returning officer. Both male and female candidates are permitted to enter any hall, but only for scheduled projection meetings with official permission.

Classrooms, libraries, exam venues, and religious spaces are off-limits for campaigns. Only black-and-white posters, leaflets, or handbills are allowed. 

Hate speech, rumors, personal attacks, or anything that offends religious sentiments is strictly prohibited, both online and offline.

Election day guidelines

Only authorised personnel, voters, candidates, and polling agents can enter the campus on voting day. The use of vehicles to transport voters is banned. No mobile phones or electronic devices are allowed inside booths, and photography inside booths is strictly prohibited.

Media coverage & violations

Journalists may enter voting centres with ID and permission, but not booths. Live coverage is allowed outside the booth area, and only a limited media presence per outlet is permitted.

Violating the code of conduct can lead to fines (up to Tk20,000), disqualification, university expulsion, or legal action as per university or national laws.

As the campus gears up for a democratic revival, DU students now stand at the heart of a process that promises representation, responsibility, and the roar of student voices once again echoing through its historic halls.