DU Teachers Association polls end

The Dhaka University Teachers Association polls have been held.

DU Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 13 Dec 2015, 07:18 AM
Updated : 13 Dec 2015, 10:58 AM

Left-leaning Pink panel is contesting separately for eight positions, but not for those of president and general secretary of the executive committee.

The Blue panel of pro-Awami League teachers, which swept last year elections, has again fielded current President Farid Uddin Ahmed and General Secretary ASM Maksud Kamal.

However, teachers of the White panel supported by the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami are hoping for success this time as there is a ‘rebel general secretary candidate’ from the Blue panel.

Voting started at 10am on Sunday at the DU teachers' club and ended at 2pm, said Election Commissioner history department Prof Sharif Ullah Bhuiyan.

Thirty-nine candidates from three panels and some contesting independently are battling it out for the 15 posts of the committee.

Blue panel’s Prof Farid Uddin, an economics teacher, and Prof Maksud Kamal of earth and environmental sciences department are running for the president and general secretary posts for the third time.

The rebel from the same panel is law department’s Associate Professor Sheikh Hafizur Rahman. He is contesting as an independent candidate for the general secretary post.

Their rivals from the White panel are management department Prof Md Sirajul Islam, who is vying for president, and Islamic history and culture Prof Md Siddiqur Rahman, contending for general secretary.

The Left-leaning teachers have been a part of the Awami League-backed Blue panel for a long time, but their Pink panel this time has fielded separate candidates hoping to win the eight executive committee posts.

Prof Maksud Kamal is hopeful about being re-elected. “I don’t think the Pink panel and a Blue panel independent runner won’t make any difference in the polls,” he told bdnews24.com on Saturday.

Meanwhile, White panel’s president candidate Prof Sirajul Islam alleged that the candidates did not get enough time for campaigning.

Sheikh Hafizur Rahman told bdnews24.com: “I wouldn’t have to run as an independent candidate from the Blue panel if respect for the university teachers remained intact and if there was no discrimination in their salaries.”

“The association has failed to strongly protest the plight of the teachers.”

Other Blue panel candidates

Prof Md Imdadul Hoque of botany department is contending for the vice-president post, Associate Professor Neelima Akhter of English for joint secretary and current treasurer Faculty of Business Studies Dean Prof Shibli Rubayat Ul Islam is running for the same post again.

Those who are contesting for member posts are Faculty of Arts Dean Prof Md Akhtaruzzaman, Prof Abu Jafar Md Shafiul Alam Bhuiyan of television and film studies, criminology department Chairman Prof Md Ziaur Rahman, Institute of Nutrition and Food Science teacher Prof Md Nizamul Hoque Bhuiyan, Prof Md Rahmat Ullah of law, microbiology department’s Prof Sabita Rezwana Rahman, Prof Md Masudur Rahman of marketing, Prof Md Aftar Ali Sheikh of chemistry, mathematics department’s Associate Professor Chandra Nath Podder and computer science and engineering department’s Associate Professor Lafifa Jamal.

Other White panel candidates

Prof Md Akhter Hossain Khan of soil, water and environment department is contending for the vice-president post, Prof Abdus Salam of chemistry for joint secretary and Prof ABM Shahidul Islam of marketing for treasurer.

Those who are contesting for member posts are Prof AM Sarwaruddin Chowdhury of applied chemistry and chemical engineering, Prof ATM Jafrul Islam of pharmaceutical chemistry, Prof ABM Obaidul Islam of physics, Prof Dilip Kumar Barua of pali and Buddhist studies, Prof Mamun Ahmed of biochemistry and molecular biology, Prof Md Abdul Karim of botany, Prof Md Abdul Hakim of accounting and information systems, Prof Lutfor Rahaman of statistics, biostatistics and informatics, Prof Md Mamun Chowdhury of fisheries and Prof Hosne Ara Begum of Institute of Education and Research.

Pink panel

Of the Left-leaning panel candidates, Prof Nehal Karim of sociology is running for vice-president, Prof Suman Kanti Barua of Pali and Buddhist studies for joint secretary and Prof Md Mohiuddin of management studies for treasurer.

Those contesting for member posts are Prof Fakrul Alam of English, Prof MM Akash of economics, Prof M Akhtaruzzaman of Institute of Nutrition and Food Science, Prof Md Sahadat Hossain of sociology and Prof AKM Salahuddin of philosophy.