Age limit fixed at 30 for Ducsu polls

Staff Correspondent: Dhaka University (DU) authorities have fixed the age limit at 30 years for the candidates of the elections to DU Central Students’ Union (Ducsu) and hall unions.

Students who enrolled in the university through honours admission tests and are currently pursuing Honours, Masters’ and Master of Philosophy (MPhil) courses can take part in the elections.

The decisions were taken at a syndicate meeting of the university held on Tuesday with DU Vice-chancellor Prof Dr Md Akhtaruzzaman in the chair.

The amended constitution along with a fresh electoral code of conduct was passed in the meeting at Nabab Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate Bhaban on the campus in the evening. The election to Ducsu and its hall unions will be held on March 11 next.

Those who are studying in different evening courses, programmes, professional, executive, special masters, diploma, MEd, PhD, DBA, language courses, certificate courses or any such courses cannot be voters.

“The syndicate decided that the polling centres will be set up in respective dormitories. The 21-member executive committee of Ducsu has been extended to 25 in the amended constitution,” Prof Rahmat said.

He said students who are working at government or private or any institutions at home or abroad cannot be voters. Students of the affiliated and the constituent colleges of the university cannot be voters.

Prof Rahmat said as per the electoral code of conduct, no poster or graffiti can be put on walls on the campus, but only black and white handbills can be distributed.

Campaigners can carry out electioneering from 10 am to 12 midnight as per the specified time of the polls schedule to be announced later, he added.

He said every voter is eligible to be candidate for the polls, but students over 30-year-old cannot be voter.

DUCSU, which was once considered as a breeding ground of politics, was last held on June 6, 1990. It was the sixth election after the country’s independence.

On January 6, 2019, the Supreme Court gave the order clearing way for holding the long-overdue and much-awaited Ducsu polls which is going to be held after 28 years.

The university authorities formed the code of conduct formulation committee, making its Pro-Vice Chancellor (academic) Prof Nasreen Ahmad as convener on January 19 for the polls.

Earlier, on January 4, a five-member Ducsu constitution amendment committee, headed by Prof Md Mizanur Rahman, was formed.

The authorities took recommendations from students’ bodies over the constitutional amendment and formulation of the electoral code of conduct.


risingbd/Dhaka/Jan 30, 2019/Yeamin/Mukul