A total of 35 students have collected nomination forms to contest various postsin the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (Ducsu) and hall union elections, according to concerned hall authorities and returning officers.
Among them 24 collected forms for hall union polls and 11 collected forms for Ducsu.
Form distribution began at 10am on Tuesday and will continue till February 25.
Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, Bangladesh Chhatra League, and the Progressive Students' Alliance said they will not collect nomination forms on the first day.
Chhatra Dal Central General Secretary Akramul Hasan said: "We still hope the authority will meet our seven point demand. For that we can wait till the last day to collect our nomination forms."
Chhatra League Central President Rezwanul Haque Chowdhury Shovon said: "We are preparing. We will collect our nomination forms on time, but not on the first day."
Iqbal Kabir, Convener of the Progressive Students' Alliance, said: "We will collect nomination forms after February 21. We are preparing now."
Forms are to be collected from the hall provost's office from 10am-4pm between February 19 and February 25. Students are not being charged any fee for the papers.
Candidates can submit nomination papers till 12 noon on February 26. The papers will be scrutinized from 2pm on February 26 while nomination papers can be withdrawn till 1pm March 2.
Five members of Islami Shashontantra Chhatra Andolon (ISCA) collected nomination papers independently to contest in the polls, even though the university authority has banned the organization.
No one collected forms at Shahidullah hall, Sir AF Rahman hall, Fazlul Huq Muslim hall, Bangladesh-Kuwait Maitree hall and Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall.
‘ID verification slowed down collection’
Regarding the low turnout for this long-awaited polls, Returning Officer of Kabi Jasimuddin hall, Md Jakaria said: “We provide the nomination papers after verifying the identity of the students. That is why the students are taking time preparing those papers. We hope the participation will be raised within a few days.”
Chief Returning Officer Prof Dr SM Mahfuzur Rahman said: “We will receive an update on the number of forms collected every three days.”
Ducsu election and the hall union elections are scheduled to be held on March 11. The bodies have remained dysfunctional for nearly three decades. As per the amended constitution of Ducsu, election will be held to 25 posts of Ducsu and 13 posts of every hall union.
The final candidate list for Ducsu and hall unions will be published on the notice board of all dormitories and university website ducsu.du.ac.bd at 4pm on March 3.
The draft voter list will be published on February 20 while a supplementary voter list will be published on March 5.
Meanwhile, 21 Teacher Student Centre-based socio-cultural organizations and bus associations of non-resident students have expressed solidarity with Bangladesh Chhatra League in supporting the authorities’ decision to set up polling stations inside the dormitories.
These organizations and bus associations have joined Chhatra League to participate in the Ducsu election as an alliance.