Female candidates scarce in Jucsu polls

Female students of Jahangirnagar University have long stood at the frontlines of campus protests, from the 1999 anti-rape movement to last year's mass uprising that toppled an authoritarian regime. But as the university prepares for the first Jahangirnagar University Central Students' Union (Jucsu) election in 33 years, many women are stepping back from the ballot.

The election is scheduled for September 11 with 11,919 registered voters, almost evenly split between men (6,102) and women (5,817). Yet the number of female candidates is far lower than that of their male counterparts.

According to the Jucsu Election Commission, only 128 nominations came from 10 female halls compared to 289 from 11 male halls. Several women's dormitories did not receive enough candidates to fill all 15 posts. At the central level, out of 276 nominations for 25 Jucsu posts, only 57 are from women -- five times fewer than men.

Participation is especially low for top posts. Two women are running for general secretary, 10 for the reserved assistant general secretary seat, but none for vice president. Most panels have fielded women only in reserved positions.

Nawab Faizunnesa Hall and Female Student Hall Number - 13 each saw only six nominations, Begum Sufia Kamal Hall 10, Begum Khaleda Zia Hall 11 and Pritilata Hall 13. Only a few halls, including Fazilatunnesa Hall with 15 candidates, Jahanara Imam Hall with 16, Rokeya Hall with 17 and Bir Protik Taramon Bibi Hall with 17, managed to secure nominations close to or above the required number. This leaves many posts uncontested in women's dormitories.

Panel-wise, the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal-backed slate has six women, all in reserved positions; Gonotantrik Chhatra Sangshad has seven, six of them for reserved posts; Islami Chhatra Shibir has six, also all for reserved posts; Jahangirnagar Theatre and a Chhatra Union faction two; while the Sanskritik Jote and Chhatra Union-supported panel fielded at least 10, the highest among the groups.

Some 26 more women are expected to contest independently.

Several female students who played leading roles in last year's mass uprising are absent from the ballot. Among them is Shrabani Zaman Jyoti, a student from the English department, who told The Daily Star that women's contributions in movements have never been valued properly.

"Cyberbullying and harassment also discouraged us," she said.

Faiza Mehzabin Priontee, president of Jahangirnagar Sanskritik Jote, said women are losing interest in politics in the absence of a supportive and inclusive environment on campus.

"There's been a noticeable erosion of women-friendly political and social spaces, and in the aftermath of the mass uprising, we haven't seen a decisive stance from the administration. Each time women have lodged complaints about abuse on campus, impunity has prevailed, and the perpetrators have continued to assert their dominance with arrogance."

Rezwana Karim Singdha, an associate professor of anthropology at JU, said the decades-long absence of Jucsu elections meant many students never understood their importance. She said since last August, women in politics have faced widespread online harassment, making students more hesitant.

JU's women have been bold in protests but not equally active in campus politics. A lack of recognition and a sense of insecurity have fuelled their apathy, Rezwana said.