Education Desk,
Uncertainty has returned over the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union, or DUCSU. The current committee’s one-year term ended Sept. 14 under the constitution, but the university has not announced the next election schedule or a specific timeline. Student organizations are demanding a prompt schedule, raising questions about whether voting can be held during the committee’s additional 90-day period for routine duties.
DUCSU and hall union elections were held in March 2019 after a 28-year gap, but no new vote followed when that committee’s term ended in 2020. After the 2024 mass uprising, another election was held Sept. 9, 2025, and the winners took office Sept. 14. Their regular one-year term therefore ended Sept. 14 this year.
Students have renewed debate because no visible timetable emerged before the term ended. Organizations have pressed for an early schedule, but the administration has not announced dates.
The DUCSU constitution allows current leaders to remain for up to 90 days after the regular term ends if no new election has taken place, with their work limited to routine duties. Failure to hold an election by Dec. 14 could create new questions about the union’s next organizational structure.
The university administration held its first meeting on the new election process Aug. 20. Participants discussed arrangements, decided to seek reports on conditions in residential halls and planned phased talks with student organizations.
Preparatory work has begun, but no schedule or election roadmap has been announced. The administration says further decisions will follow consultations with relevant groups.
Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education Professor Dr. Abdus Salam said DUCSU was a regular part of university life whose continuity had been disrupted by years without elections. He said the vote could move by one or two months.
He said the administration had already discussed the election but fixed no date and would decide details after further consultations.
DUCSU elections have never followed a regular cycle. Since Dhaka University was founded in 1921, elections have been held 38 times. Only eight were held in the 54 years since independence.
Preparations for a 1991 election were completed, but violence prevented voting. Further attempts in 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998 and 2005 also failed for various reasons.
The 2019 election ended a 28-year gap but did not restore continuity. Another election came six years later in 2025, so the latest uncertainty has revived discussion of DUCSU’s long history of irregular voting.
Student organizations are increasing pressure for a quick schedule, arguing that regular DUCSU elections are needed to ensure democratic participation and representation.
Nahiduzzaman Shipon, general secretary of the Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal’s Dhaka University unit, said the organization supported students’ democratic values and viewed DUCSU positively. He said the administration would determine the date and welcomed its move to seek hall-based student opinion after the term ended.
DUCSU Assistant General Secretary and Islami Chhatra Shibir Dhaka University unit president Mohiuddin Khan demanded an immediate schedule. He said Shibir had long supported DUCSU and had begun internal preparations, ready to contest whenever the schedule was announced.
Hasib Al Islam, president of the Jatiya Chhatra Shakti university unit; Jatiya Chhatra Sabha organizer Shimu Akter; and Biplobi Chhatra Maitri university unit president Sami Abdullah also called for a prompt election.
Chhatra Dal leaders said DUCSU was also discussed when elected Chhatra Dal-backed representatives from university halls met Prime Minister Tareque Rahman on Sept. 18. They said the meeting covered the next election and ways to increase student support.
The administration has started initial work, but the lack of a schedule is extending the wait. Debate now centers on the expired regular term and the maximum 90-day provision for routine duties.
Students are waiting to see whether the university can complete preparations within that additional period or whether the next DUCSU election will be delayed again.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report