Raksu Election: ‘Anti-Hegemony Unity’ Panel Formed Around Former Coordinators

PNN News Desk | Rajshahi:
A new panel named ‘Anti-Hegemony Unity’ has been announced for the Rajshahi University Central Student Union (Raksu) elections, led by three former coordinators. The unity of these coordinators, who led the July people’s uprising, is considered the panel’s strongest asset.

The Raksu elections will be held on September 25. Out of 23 positions, 18 candidates will contest from this panel. Mehedi Sajib, former coordinator of the anti-discrimination student movement, is running for Vice President (VP), Salauddin Ammar is contesting for General Secretary (GS), and Aqil bin Taleb is competing for Assistant General Secretary (AGS).

Although the panel includes four female candidates, there are no representatives from minority students. Two women have been nominated for the positions of Assistant Welfare Secretary and Executive Member.

The panel’s top candidates have claimed that there are no “dummy” candidates in their team. They assert that they only aim to work for students against hegemonic politics. However, rumors on campus suggest that the panel might be influenced by the National Civic Party (NCP) or Chhatra Shibir.

VP candidate Mehedi Sajib said, “We have been active in the movement before July and continued to stand by the students afterward. If students entrust us with responsibility, we will work even more firmly to uphold their rights.”

Meanwhile, GS candidate Salauddin Ammar rejected the allegations, saying, “We are all July fighters. Only qualified candidates are here. Claims of shadow teams from Shibir or any other organization are baseless.”

The leadership of the three former coordinators, inclusion of four female candidates, and participation of top leaders from various organizations are seen as the strengths of this panel. Ultimately, however, it will be the students’ votes that decide the future leadership of Raksu.