All student bodies, except JCD, finalise panels

All student organisations, except Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, have finalised their panels for contesting the long-pending Dhaka University Central Students' Union (Ducsu) and hall union polls, scheduled to be held on March 11.

The leftist student bodies and quota reformists are likely to announce their full-fledged panel today while BCL high-ups said they would announce their panel by tomorrow.

Meanwhile, JCD, the student wing of BNP, yesterday started selling nomination papers for the upcoming polls at the party's Naya Paltan central office.

Nomination forms can be collected from 10am to 4pm from hall offices till tomorrow.

Sources said five top Awami League leaders were entrusted by the party on February 3 to provide assistance and suggestions to BCL.

BCL central president Rezwanul Haque Chowdhury and general secretary Golam Rabbani have been nominated for the vice-president and general secretary posts respectively.

BCL DU unit general secretary Saddam Hussain was nominated to compete for the assistant general secretary post, said party insiders.

“We have prepared a draft for the central and hall unions and will be done with the panel by February 25,” said BCL central president.

JCD sources said leaders of the student organisation are now facing a major hurdle in finding eligible candidates as their demands for amending some clauses, including the one which put an age bar on the candidates, remain unmet.

Progotishil Chhatra Jote and Samrajjobad Birodhi Chhatra Oikya, two alliances of left-leaning student bodies, will likely announce their combined panel today.

Bangladesh Chhatra Union central general secretary Liton Nandi said they would also announce their panel today.

Leaders of Bangladesh Sadharan Chhatra Adhikar Sangrakkhan Parishad -- the platform that spearheaded the quota reform protests -- said they have finalised their panel.

“We are finalising the full-fledged panel and will announce it tomorrow (today),” convener of the platform Hasan Al Mamun told The Daily Star.

The last Ducsu election was held on June 6, 1990.