Desk Report,
Chhatra Dal considers inclusion of first-year students in voter list a ‘victory’
Chhatra Dal is seeing the inclusion of first-year students in the voters’ list for the Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union (RACSU), Hall Union and Senate student representative elections as its victory. In the face of their movement, the administration was forced to include first-year students as voters.
Chhatra Dal considers inclusion of first-year students in voter list a ‘victory’
After the decision on Tuesday afternoon, Chhatra Dal’s central organizing secretary Amanullah Aman made this statement at a press conference in front of the RAKSU treasurer’s office.
Amanullah Aman said that the Rajshahi University administration had published a voters’ list excluding first-year students for the 2024-25 academic year. Chhatra Dal protested after that. If first-year students at Dhaka and Jahangirnagar Universities can contest as voters and candidates, why can’t Rajshahi University? Chhatra Dal was vocal in favor of this logical demand. As a result, the administration included first-year students in the voters’ list. They believe that this is one of the victories of democratic political practice. The news of this movement had spread throughout Bangladesh. The administration was forced to take this decision in the face of the students’ movement. The student body leader said, “First-year students have been given their rights in a hurry. We are still skeptical about whether they will be able to be included in the voter list properly or not, whether first-year students will be able to run for office. Because time is very short. They have extended it by one day. It would have been better if there were photo voters in the elections. But this is not the case in Rajshahi University. It would have been better if this was done.”
Regarding the date of voting, Amanullah Aman said that the election date is September 25. Two days after that, the Sharadiya Durgotsav of Hindus is. They go home a day or two before to celebrate it along with the festival. If they go home, they will be absent from the elections. Keeping that in mind, the administration can bring the election date forward or backward. So that those who are Hindus have the opportunity to participate in the elections.
