United News of Bangladesh

Jamaat-e-Islami’s student wing Chhatra Shibir-backed panel ‘Combined Students’ Alliance,’ has swept the Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union (RUCSU) election, winning 20 out of 23 posts, including the posts of Vice President (VP) and Assistant General Secretary (AGS). This marks the first landslide victory for the Shibir since the RUCSU election was last held 35 years ago. The only exception came in the General Secretary (GS) race, where Salahuddin Ammar, a former coordinator of the anti-discrimination student movement and candidate from the Anti-Dominance Unity panel, won by a big margin. According to results announced on Friday morning, Shibir’s Mostakur Rahman Jahid secured the VP post by bagging 12,745 votes while his nearest candidate Sheikh Nur Uddin Abir, backed by BNP’s student body Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, received 3,332 votes. Mostakur defeated Abir by a margin of 9, 413 votes. Ammar won the GS post with 11,558 votes defeating Shibir’s Fazle Rabbi Md Fahim Reza, who bagged 5,706 votes. Reza suffered a defeat of 5, 852 votes to Ammar.   For the AGS post, Shibir-backed SM Salman Sabbir secured 6,979 votes, narrowly defeating Jahin Biswas Esha of JCD, who got 5,879 votes, showing the tightest contest in The RUCSU polls.   The Shibir-supported panel also dominated in most other posts, including cultural, sports, women’s affairs, environment, media, and executive positions. Winners include Zahid Hasan Zoha (Cultural Secretary), Rakibul Islam (Assistant Cultural Secretary), Abu Sayeed Nayeem (Assistant Sports Secretary), Saeeda Hafsa (Women’s Affairs Secretary), and Samia Jannat (Assistant Women’s Affairs Secretary). In research and publication, Nazmus Saki and Sifat Abu Saleh were elected, while Mujahidul Islam and Asadullah Hil Galib won in media and publication roles.  RUCSU elections held fairly and peacefully, says Observation Team Imran Laskar and Nayan Mursalin were elected in debate and literature, and Abdullah Al Masud along with Masuma Islam Momo won in environment and social service. Executive members elected include Deep, Sujon Chandra, ImjiauI Ali and Khalid Hasan. Vote counting began Thursday evening and concluded Friday morning at the Kazi Nazrul Islam Auditorium, following results from all 17 halls, including six for female students. This year’s RUCSU, hall, and student senate elections saw 247 candidates contesting for 23 central posts, 597 candidates for 15 hall union posts across 17 residential halls, and 58 candidates for five student senate seats. Out of 28,901 registered voters—including 11,305 female and 17,596 male students—69.83 percent cast their votes, with a 63.24 percent turnout in the women’s halls. Chief Election Commissioner Prof Dr F Nazrul Islam said the long-awaited election was held in a festive and peaceful atmosphere, crediting students for their cooperation and responsible participation after decades of anticipation. Meanwhile, the Shibir-backed panel swept landslide victories in the DUCSU, JUCSU and CUCSU elections.  

In the wake of Shibir's decisive victory in the DUCSU election 2025, other parties have received a wake-up call, as the win signals a major shift in student politics. According to a social media sentiment analysis by SharedToday, Shibir's success can be attributed to a positive campaign focused on service and discipline, a strategy other parties may need to adopt. The New Face of Campus Politics The old labels and abstract political narratives are losing their grip on students. Shibir reframed the election around present-day issues such as discipline, order, and practical services. This approach resonated overwhelmingly with students. While the "anti-independence" narrative did see a jump in engagement late in the DUCSU election, it ultimately failed to stop Shibir's momentum. Students chose to interact with content about "present-tense" capacity and discipline, rather than history. A Wake-Up Call from the DUCSU and RUCSU Elections In the recent DUCSU polls, Shibir's victory was a result of a well-executed strategy of timing, simple promises, and strong organization. Shibir's VP candidate, Sadiq, dominated online engagement in the final days, with his share jumping from 53.09% to 88.97%, creating a perception of "inevitability" that rivals couldn't counter. In the General Secretary race, Farhad held his lead from the beginning, while his rivals' engagement shares collapsed. Read more: From DUCSU to JUCSU: Shibir’s winning streak rolls on This trend appears to be continuing in the RUCSU election. According to a SharedToday inception report on September 16, Shibir's Sammilito Jote panel is dominating social media engagement with 92.6% of the share. In the VP race, Shibir's Mostakur Rahman has a commanding 66.2% share of engagement. While JCD and Oikya's campaigns are smaller, they are leaning more positive. For instance, JCD's AGS candidate Zahin Biswas Esha has the strongest individual footprint online, with a 61.3% engagement share in her position. However, the overall data indicates that Shibir's powerful, service-oriented narrative is what is resonating most, capturing over 93% of all panel-level engagement in the early stages of the RUCSU campaign. Lessons for Other Parties The success of Shibir provides a clear lesson for other parties. The fragmented "July Bloc" (including Independent and Odhikar) saw its online engagement share collapse from 4.97% to 0.31% in the final stretch of the DUCSU election, largely due to a drop in presence and lack of "last-mile amplification". JCD, while holding its base in DUCSU, failed to excite voters, and its VP candidate's engagement collapsed from 30.33% to 9.08%. Read more: JUCSU: Newly-elected VP Zitu vows to end sycophantic student politics Shibir's strategy of disciplined organization, a focus on tangible services, and a positive message of moral leadership stands in stark contrast. As other parties look to compete, they may need to move away from old slogans and embrace a more positive, service-oriented approach to win over a pragmatic student body.

In a political earthquake that has been rumbling underneath the surface of post-Uprising Bangladesh, the Islami Chhatra Shibir-backed panel’s candidates look set to sweep all the top posts in this year’s DUCSU election, with its Vice President (VP) candidate Shadik Kayem in particular opening up a commanding lead in the overnight vote count.  Voting was held Tuesday in a festive atmosphere across campus for the Dhaka University Central Students Union. Turnout clocked a dizzying 78.3% in the end, of the 39,000-strong electorate. The entire campaign period too was notably free of any violence or untoward incidents, except some instances of mostly online harassment.  With 5 of the 8 centres covering 18 halls reporting their results till 5am Wednesday, Shadik had racked up an impressive 7,516 votes.  His nearest rival, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal-backed panel’s Abidul Islam Khan, popularly known as Abid, trailed far behind on just 3,653 votes. With three centres left to report their results, it leaves Abid with a statistical mountain to climb, if he is to overhaul Shadik, that hardly looks likely. Shadik has so far handily beaten Aid in every single hall that has announced its results, except Jagannath Hall, DU’s only dedicated hall for students from minority backgrounds. That includes two women’s halls - Begum Rokeya Hall and Poet Sufia Kamal Hall - where Shadik scored big, unexpected wins.   Among others in the VP race, Umama Fatema, arguably the most well-known face from last year’s Uprising among all the candidates, garnered 2,355 standing from an independent panel, while independent candidate Shamim Hossain, who tended to attract the more liberal voters, tallied 2,409. The five polling centres included in the count so far were Curzon Hall, Physical Education Center, TSC, Geology Department Center, and University Laboratory School and College. The remaining three centres from which results were still pending are the Senate Building, Udayan School and College, and Dhaka University Club. The Shibir-backed panel's candidates for General Secretary and Assistant General Secretary, S.M. Farhad and Mohiuddin Khan respectively, also worked up handy leads that are unlikely to be eclipsed in the results from the remaining three centres.  JCD's Abid secures big win in Jagannath Hall It remains to be seen whether JCD will concede the election. Abid, and his senior leaders in JCD started complaining about irregularities in the counting process last evening, and in a Facebook post around 2:30am (Wednesday morning), he wrote, “I guessed this result right after noon. Just put numbers as you like. I reject this staged drama.” In contrast, his panel's GS candidate, Sheikh Tanvir Bari Hamim, seemed to gracefully accept the result, even as he referred to some irregularities.  In a status on his verified Facebook page around the same time, Hamim said: "If the students of Dhaka University think that this is their verdict, then I respect this verdict. I am waiting for the students' reaction." Earlier, Chief Returning Officer Professor Dr Md Jasim Uddin told reporters that voting in the DUCSU and hall union elections concluded with no major incidents reported throughout the day. Students cast their vote spontaneously and the overall atmosphere at polling centres was peaceful, he said. A total of 471 candidates contested for 28 positions in this year’s Ducsu election. Among the candidates, 48 vied for the post of Vice President (VP), 19 for General Secretary (GS), and 25 for Assistant General Secretary (AGS).  

The results of the DUCSU election have started to come out hall by hall. In Amar Ekushey and Sufia Kamal Halls, Vice President candidate Shadik Kayem, backed by the Shibir-supported Oikoboddho Shikkharthi Jote, took a big lead with 1,914 votes. His closest rival, BNP-backed candidate Md Abidul Islam Khan, got 564 votes. The announcement of hall results began at 1:45 am, with each hall declaring its winners one by one. The Shibir-backed panel's other candidates also performed strongly, and hold leads for the post of general secretary and assistant general secretary as well    More to come...  

Awami League General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister, Obaidul Quader, on Tuesday (July 30, 2024) said that the government will thoroughly examine the legal aspects before banning Jamaat-Shibir to ensure this “extremist group” cannot exploit legal loopholes to engage in politics in Bangladesh. Quader made this statement at a meeting held at Awami League’s central office on Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital this morning. He also called on the Home Minister to ensure that no innocent person is arrested. Jamaat-e-Islami to be banned by tomorrow: Law Minister “The law enforcement agencies are identifying criminals based on footage. No innocent person is being detained. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has instructed that general students should not be harassed. Yet, BNP Secretary General (Fakhrul) is shamelessly lying, claiming that innocent and helpless students are being detained,” said the Awami League General Secretary. He further said that BNP-Jamaat used students as shields in their movement, adding, “The government is aware of the sources of their instructions, incitements, and funding. There is no longer any opportunity to confuse the nation with nonsense.” The meeting began with prayers and a moment of silence in memory of those killed and injured in the recent violence across the country. Notable attendees at the meeting included Awami League Presidium members Dr. Abdur Razzaq, Advocate Kamrul Islam, Dr. Mustafa Jalal Mohiuddin, Advocate Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif, AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Dr. Dipu Moni, and presidents and general secretaries of Dhaka Metropolitan North and South units of Awami League, Dhaka district Awami League, and affiliated organizations. Decision to ban Jamaat-Shibir taken at 14-party alliance meeting: Obaidul Quader

Police Wednesday said they filed a case against 150 leaders and activists of the Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Chhatra Shibir over the attack on the law enforcers in Rajshahi city as a reaction to the arrest of the party's chief. Ariful Islam, sub-inspector (SI) of Boalia Model Police Station, filed the case against 16 named and 134 unnamed people at the police station Tuesday night. Boalia Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Mazharul Islam said they have so far arrested six people, including the chief of Shah Makhdum Thana unit chief. "Efforts are on to arrest others." Read more: Arrest warrants issued against Jamaat chief, 11 others in sabotage case A clash broke out Tuesday when the Awami League men intercepted a procession brought out by Jamaat and Shibir in the Darikharbona area to protest the arrest of their party chief Md Shafiqur Rahman. As result, a clash broke out between the two parties. At that time, two law enforcers sustained injuries while trying to disperse the Jamaat and Shibir men, Mazharul said.

Some locally made arms and leaflets of the banned Jamaat-e-Islami’s student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir were recovered from one of the locked rooms of Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College on Tuesday. However, no one could be detained in this connection as this room had been locked for a long time. Nazmul Hossain, general secretary of the Awami League’s student front Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) at the college unit, said acting on-a tip off they came to know that Shibir men hoarded local weapons and political leaflets in a room on the third floor of the college hostel. Read more: BCL factional clash leaves eight injured at Chattogram College “Police seized axes, hockey sticks, cricket stumps, some other local arms, leaflets and other books belonging to the Shibir politics, when we along with general students were on to recover these,” he said. “The practice of politics by the Shibir was banned following the murder of Dr Soumitra on the campus, but now they seem to be more active under several banners,” he said. Mohammad Ali Mahmaud, officer-in-charge of Kotwali Model police station, said they recovered the weapons and other instruments after the BCL men found them. Read more: BCL politician's murder: Fugitive accused held in Dhaka He said they would take legal action if the hospital authority files a case in connection with the recovery of arms and other things.  

Police on Thursday arrested 14 suspected leaders and activists of Islami Chhatra Shibir along with cocktails and gunpowder from a madrasa hostel in the municipality area of Sadar upazila.