Shibir, Chhatra Dal-backed VP, GS candidates cast votes in DUCSU elections

Islami Chhatra Shibir’s Vice President candidate Sadik Kayem and Chhatra Dal-backed General Secretary candidate Sheikh Tanvir Bari Hamim cast their votes on Tuesday morning as polling began for the long-awaited Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) and hall unions elections.

Both candidates voted at the Udayan School & College polling centre around 8:30am.

After casting his vote, Sadik Kayem urged students to back their chosen candidates, saying, “Through this DUCSU election, we want to establish a positive democratic transition.”

Meanwhile, GS candidate Sheikh Tanvir Bari Hamim expressed satisfaction with the overall election process.

He predicted a voter turnout of 80–85 percent and voiced optimism about his prospects.

Polling is scheduled to continue until 4:00pm in eight centres on campus.

This year, 471 candidates are vying for 28 positions, following 13 days of vigorous campaigning in a festive atmosphere where candidates employed various creative methods to reach and persuade voters.

A total of 39,775 students, including 20,873 male and 18,902 female voters, are eligible to cast ballots in this election.

Meanwhile, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) has taken stringent security measures to ensure order during the polls. These include check-posts at campus gates, regular patrols, officers with body cameras, SWAT teams, bomb disposal units, intelligence surveillance, CCTV monitoring and special forces patrols.

Members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have also been deployed. A total of 1,771 police officers were on duty Monday, with another 2,096 deployed on Tuesday.