Fifteen previously disqualified candidates have regained eligibility to contest the upcoming Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (Jucsu) election through the appeal process, restoring their place in the historic polls after 33 years.
The rejected candidates corrected errors in their nomination papers and reapplied, following which they were declared valid contestants,” said Election Commission member-secretary Professor AKM Rashidul Alam on Thursday afternoon.
He added that the commission has also decided to prepare a photo-based voter list for both central Jucsu and hall elections to ensure greater transparency.
A shortage of candidates has emerged at the hall level, with none of the university’s 21 residential halls able to field a full panel for the 315 available posts.
Sources cited limited manpower, waning interest in hall-based politics, and the long gap since the last election as factors behind the weaker competition. As a result, many posts are being contested by independents, and in several halls some positions have only one candidate—resulting in unopposed elections. In Nawab Faizunnesa Hall, for instance, six posts—including VP and GS—have a single candidate each. Similarly, in Pritilata, Fazilatunnesa, and Sufia Kamal Halls, the VP post has only one candidate.
Observers note that while the historic Jucsu election has generated high expectations, the limited number of candidates and subdued competition have created mixed reactions among students.
Student group leaders said that although candidates were found for top posts such as VP and GS, positions like cultural secretary and social welfare secretary drew less interest.
Reports indicate that Chhatra Dal, Chhatra Shibir, Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad, and left-leaning student organisations failed to submit full hall panels. Attempts to recruit independents met limited success, leaving hall-level contests incomplete in several areas.
According to the draft list, 256 candidates are vying for 25 Jucsu posts, while 481 students are contesting 315 hall-level positions.
The final candidate list will be published Friday. Campaigning will continue until September 9, with 11,919 students expected to vote on September 11.
