Pro-BNP white panel sweeps DU deans polls

The white panel backed by pro-BNP-Jamaat teachers swept the deans' election at Dhaka University (DU) yesterday, bagging eight of the ten posts.
The panel secured the arts, science, business studies, law, biology, pharmacy, earth and environmental sciences and engineering and technology faculties.
The Awami League-backed blue panel got the social science and fine arts faculties.
The four-hour voting began at 9:00am at Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) cafeteria, with Treasurer Prof Syed Abul Kalam Azad as the election commissioner.
He said about 98 percent teachers from nine faculties cast their votes, adding that the new deans could join their offices from tomorrow if they want so.
Earlier, Prof Borhan Uddin Khan was elected as law faculty dean uncontested.
The white panel's incumbent arts-faculty dean Prof Sadrul Amin was re-elected. He bagged 116 votes while blue panel's Prof Fakhrul Alam got 107.
Prof Tajmery SA Islam secured the science faculty. She got 67 votes while rival Prof Muhibur Rahman got 47 votes.
Prof Md Abdur Rashid won the pharmacy faculty, securing 30 votes while Prof Farida Begum scrambled six votes.
Prof Abul Bashar was elected as biology-faculty dean, getting 82 votes against his rival Prof Anwar Hossain's 61.
Prof Abbas Ali Khan got 65 votes for the business studies faculty while Prof Mizanur Rahman got 53.
Prof Shahnaz Haq Hussain got the earth and environmental sciences faculty, securing 14 votes against her white panellist rival Prof Qamrul Hasan's seven and blue panellist Prof Hossain Mansur's 12.
Prof Shahida Rafique won the engineering and technology faculty. She bagged 37 votes while rival Prof Neem Chandra Bhowmik got 19.
The blue panel's Prof Harun-or-Rashid was elected as dean of the social science faculty, securing 100 votes. His rival Prof Ferdous Hossain scrambled 53 votes.
Prof Rafiqun Nabi got the newly established fine arts faculty. He got 14 votes while rival white panellists Prof Abdus Sattar and Prof Mahmudul Haq got 13 and 11 votes respectively.