The scholar entrance of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) rejected the outcomes, alleging “deliberate manipulation” and termed the polls a “farce”.
The Jamaat-backed Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS) received 9 of the 12 Dhaka University Central Students Union (DUCSU) posts, the elections for which have been held on Tuesday.
The college authorities declared ICS candidate Sadik Qayem as Vice-President and SM Farhad as General Secretary. The President’s submit stays reserved for the college’s vice-chancellor.
Observers say this was the primary time since 1971 that an Islamist scholar group has received any college election in Bangladesh.
Qayem polled 1,442 votes towards 5,708 secured by Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) candidate Khan, whereas Farhad received the General Secretary’s submit with 10,794 votes, defeating JCD’s Tanvir Bari, who acquired 5,283.
BNP-backed JCD rejected the outcomes.
“We assumed the outcomes of the deliberate manipulation since Tuesday afternoon. Put the numbers as you want. We have rejected the farce,” JCD’s vice-president candidate Mohammad Abidul Islam wrote on Facebook.
The Students Against Discrimination (SAD), which spearheaded final yr’s motion that toppled Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League authorities and paved the way in which for Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus’ interim administration, did not make an influence amid inside splits.
SAD candidate Abdul Qauder accused the college of bias, alleging ICS “manipulated the results from inside the polling centres”, whereas JCD labored from “outside”.
SAD’s former spokesperson, Umama Fatema, who give up the group citing corruption amongst its leaders, additionally boycotted the polls after contesting beneath the “Independent Students Panel”.
She introduced her withdrawal from the race in a predawn Facebook submit, saying, “Boycott! Boycott! Abandoning DUCSU.” However, Chief Returning Officer Prof Mohammad Jasim Uddin described the polls as a “mannequin”, saying, “We promised to ship, and we’ve stored that promise.” “Whenever the nation falls into disaster, Dhaka University leads the way in which,” he mentioned.
National Citizen Party (NCP) chief Hasnat Abdullah mentioned the outcomes would form Bangladesh’s political future, urging all events to respect the end result.
The National Citizen Party (NCP), an offshoot of the SAD, is seen as sympathetic to Yunus.
According to the college authorities, witnessed 78 per cent voter turnout and have been largely peaceable, although marred by allegations of irregularities and bias.
The voting started at 8 am on Tuesday and ended at 4 pm peacefully. Tensions mounted after counting started on Tuesday night, with ICS taking a transparent lead.
The interim authorities had disbanded Awami League’s scholar wing, Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), branding it a “terrorist organisation”.
Though the BNP has emerged as the one main social gathering in Awami League’s absence, Jamaat-e-Islami seems to have consolidated its political affect, with its scholar activists being credited for his or her position in final yr’s “July Uprising”, observers mentioned.
Published – September 10, 2025 09:27 pm IST
