Jatiya Chhatra Shakti, the student wing of the National Citizen Party (NCP), on Saturday elected new leaders for its central committee and Dhaka University (DU) unit at its first-ever national council, held at the Raju Memorial Sculpture on the DU campus.
In the central committee, Abu Baker Majumder, who had been serving as the organization’s general secretary, was elected president. Tahmid Al Muddassir Chowdhury, until now president of the DU unit, was elected central general secretary, while Abu Tauhid Mohammad Siam was elected organizational secretary.
For the DU unit, Hasib Al Islam was elected president and Ferdous Ain general secretary, while Zahir Raihan, also known as Zahir Ripon, was elected organizational secretary after running uncontested for the post.
The results were announced by Al Amin Sarkar, chief commissioner of the council and outgoing general secretary of the JCS Dhaka University unit, who also headed the preparatory and election committees for the event.
The central committee results were announced immediately after the DU unit results during the same program.
Nahid Islam, Opposition chief whip and convener of the NCP, attended the council as chief guest, along with NCP lawmakers and senior party leaders.
The day-long program began with registration at 9am, followed by voting by councilors from 10am to noon and a discussion session in the afternoon. The day also featured a rally in the evening and a cultural program that continued into the night.
Saturday's council was the first since the organization, previously known as the Bangladesh Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad, was renamed Jatiya Chhatra Shakti last year.
Addressing the council, Nahid Islam said the political legacy of Ganatantrik Chhatra Shakti and the anti-discrimination student movement must be carried forward by Chhatra Shakti.
He said that while a mass uprising had brought about a change of government in Bangladesh, its aspirations remained unfulfilled. He alleged that the BNP government, despite coming to power through an election, was reverting to the same undemocratic practices as its predecessors and that incidents of "occupation politics" were resurfacing on various campuses.
"If Jatiya Chhatra Shakti fails to build a strong position in student politics, students may once again have to embrace a life of servitude," he said, calling on the organization to keep campaigning for the reforms that, he said, 70% of voters had backed in the referendum.
Speaking at the discussion session, NCP member secretary and Rangpur-4 lawmaker Akhter Hossen said the name "Chhatra Shakti" carried personal significance for him, recalling that he had launched Ganatantrik Chhatra Shakti at Dhaka University on October 4, 2023, a political journey that he said had now culminated in national politics through the NCP.
"This name carries my own emotions," he said, adding that students had historically led every major movement in the country, from the Language Movement and the Liberation War to last year's mass uprising.
He alleged that "from the very first day of forming the government, [the BNP] has taken a position against reform" and was reluctant to implement the outcomes of the national referendum.
He also accused the government of inflating viva voce marks in public service recruitment to favor ruling-party loyalists.