Shibir sweeps all RUCSU posts except National Athlete Nargis from Chhatra Dal
Al Mahmud Bijoy, RU
Islami Chhatra Shibir-backed “Combined Student Alliance” has secured a landslide victory in the Rajshahi University (RU) Hall Union elections, clinching all Vice-president (VP), General Secretary (GS), and Assistant General secretary (AGS) posts across all 17 residential halls. Not a single Chhatra Dal candidate managed to win any of the top three positions in any hall, marking a decisive setback for the student organization.
The official results were announced at 8:30 am on Friday (Oct 17) by Chief Election Commissioner Professor Dr. F. Nazrul Islam at the Kazi Nazrul Islam Auditorium, following a peaceful and festive day of polling across the university.
In the long-awaited Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union (RUCSU) polls—held after 35 years—the Shibir-backed “Combined Student Alliance” also swept the central election, winning 20 out of the 23 posts.
Their vice-president candidate, Md Mostakur Rahman zahid, who serves as the president of the RU unit of Islami Chhatra Shibir, secured a landslide victory with 12,687 votes. His closest rival, Sheikh Nur Uddin Abir, from the Chhatra Dal-backed “United New Generation” panel, received 3,397 votes.
The result cements Shibir’s dominance across both central and hall-level politics at the university, indicating a resurgence of their organizational strength on campus.
While Shibir swept most of the major positions, the general secretary (GS) post went to Salahuddin Ammar of the “Anti-Dominance Unity” panel. Ammar, a former coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, won by a wide margin, securing 11,497 votes. His nearest competitor, Fazle Rabbi Md. Fahim Reza from the Shibir panel, obtained 5,727 votes.
Observers noted that Ammar’s victory—despite the Shibir wave—symbolized a pocket of independent and issue-based student activism still alive within the campus political landscape. Both Ammar and Reza previously played significant roles in the anti-discrimination student movement that gained prominence in recent years.
In a remarkable individual achievement, Nargis Akter, a national-level athlete, became the only winning candidate from the Chhatra Dal-backed “United New Generation” panel. Contesting for the Sports Secretary post, Nargis received the highest number of votes in her category, becoming the sole representative of her panel in the central union.
The Chief Election Commissioner confirmed her victory during the official announcement on Friday morning.
Alongside Nargis, two other non-Shibir candidates managed to secure central positions—Salahuddin Ammar as GS, and Toufayel Ahmed Tofa, who won the Science and Technology Affairs Secretary post as an independent.
The RUCSU and Hall Union elections, held under tight security and amid festive enthusiasm, reflected a shifting dynamic in student politics at Rajshahi University. While Shibir regained overwhelming organizational control, the victories of Ammar and Nargis demonstrated that student voters remain receptive to independent and merit-based candidates as well.
Political analysts on campus view the results as a landmark moment—symbolizing the re-emergence of structured student politics after decades of dormancy. The sweeping victory by Shibir, combined with selective wins by other panels, paints a complex but vibrant picture of the university’s evolving political climate.
