Shibir-backed panel sweeps the pollsJUCSU: Jitu elected VP, Mazhar GS

After a tense, 44-hour manual vote count, and days of campus speculation, Jahangirnagar University has finally announced the results of its fiercely contested Central Students’ Union (JUCSU) elections.

In a result that reflects the fractured political landscape of the student union, Abdur Rashid Jitu of the Independent Students’ Union Panel has been elected Vice President, while Mazharul Islam of the Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir-backed Integrated Students’ Union has clinched the post of General Secretary.

Chief Election Commissioner Professor Md Moniruzzaman officially declared the results at the university’s Senate Building on Saturday evening, bringing an end to a process that began with voting on Thursday, 11 September, from 9 am to 5 pm, and a marathon counting session that kicked off later that night at 10:15 pm.

The delay, authorities confirmed, was due to the entirely manual tabulation of ballots, a painstaking process that tested the patience of students, faculty, and political observers alike.

But the election was far from universally embraced.

Four major student panels, including the Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and five independent candidates boycotted the polls, denouncing what they called a “non-level playing field” and alleging widespread procedural irregularities.

The controversy deepened when four pro-BNP faculty members, including one sitting election commissioner, resigned in protest ahead of voting, a move that cast a shadow over the legitimacy of the entire exercise.

Despite the boycott and resignations, the election drew 177 candidates vying for 25 central executive positions.

Of the university’s 11,897 registered voters, 6,115 male and 5,728 female, approximately 68% turned out to cast their ballots, signalling strong, if polarised, student engagement.

Jitu, an independent candidate, clinched the VP position, though none of the other 19 contenders from his panel won any post.

From the Chhatra Shibir-backed panel Samonnito Shikkharthi Jote, Mazharul Islam won the GS post, with Ferdous Al Hasan elected Assistant General Secretary (Male) and Ayesha Siddika Meghla as Assistant General Secretary (Female).

Other secretaries elected include-- Abu Ubaida Usama (Education and Research), Safayet Mir (Environment and Nature Conservation), Zahidul Islam Bappi (Literature and Publication), Sheikh Jisan (Cultural Affairs), Raihan Uddin (Assistant Cultural Affairs), Ruhul Islam (Nattaya), Mahmudul Hasan Kiran (Sports), Mahadi Hasan (Assistant Sports – Male), Farhana Akter Lubna (Assistant Sports – Female), Rashedul Imon Likhan (IT & Library), Ahsan Labib (Social Welfare and Humanitarian Development), Touhid Islam (Assistant Social Welfare – Male), Nigar Sultana (Assistant Social Welfare – Female), Husne Mubarak (Health and Food Security), and Tanvir Rahman (Transport and Communication).

For executive member posts, the female members elected were Fabliha Jahan, Nabila Binte Harun, and Nusrat Jahan Ema, while Abu Talha, Rakibul Islam, and Mohammad Ali Chishti were elected for the male posts.

JUCSU has 25 posts in total. The Shibir-backed Samonnito Shikkharthi Jote secured 15 of 18 secretarial positions and 5 of 6 executive member posts.

Just two days earlier, Islami Chhatra Shibir had registered another sweeping win in the DUCSU elections held on Tuesday (September 9). Running under the banner of the Unified Student Alliance, their panel captured 23 of the 28 posts, including VP, GS and AGS.