Sadi, Boishakhi to lead JCD panel in Jucsu polls

Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal yesterday nominated Sheikh Sadi Hasan as vice-president candidate and Tanzila Hossain Boishakhi as general secretary candidate for the Jahangirnagar University Central Students' Union election, scheduled for September 11.

At a press briefing at Adammya 24, the monument honouring martyrs of the July mass uprising, JCD central Senior Vice-President Abu Afsan Mohammad Yahya announced the 25-member panel.

Anjuman Ara Ikra and Mohammad Sazzadul Islam were nominated for the female and male assistant general secretary posts.

"All four of them are July uprising frontliners," said Jahir Uddin Mohammad Babor, convenor of JCD's JU unit.

Sadi, a master's student of Bangla and former theatre activist, previously served as assistant education affairs secretary of his departmental council. He is now vice-president of JU's Gaibandha District Student Welfare Association.

He said JCD is committed to democracy, freedom of expression, quality education, better accommodation and food facilities, student-friendly politics, a safe campus for women, and the promotion of cultural and intellectual activities.

"This election is an opportunity to create a diverse and safe campus. We are committed to building that together with the students," he added.

Boishakhi, a master's student of government and politics, is president of JCD's Female Hall No. 13 unit. Injured by rubber bullets during the July uprising, she described herself as one of the female mobilisers of the movement. She now works as a research executive at The Bangladesh Dialogue think tank and has previously worked with NGOs, including Brac.

"If elected, I will work for the welfare of JU students, rising above political divisions," she said.

Ikra, the AGS (female) candidate, is an undergraduate student of computer science and engineering, and has volunteered with UNICEF and served in the Bangladesh National Cadet Corps.

The JU unit also asked its members, not in the panel, to withdraw. Even so, Syeda Ananna Fariha, a member of the JCD convening committee, said she would run as an independent for general secretary.

 "The JCD panel is not student-friendly and full of bias. That's why I want to run independently," she told a press conference yesterday.

The panel also includes Hamidullah Salman, accused in a case over the murder of former Chhatra League leader Shamim Molla, as an executive member candidate.

JCD yesterday also announced panels for 11 male halls but none for female halls.

The official campaign for the Jucsu election begins today.