Campaigning for the upcoming Rajshahi University Central Students' Union (RUCSU), hall unions, and student representatives in the senate elections of 2025 is now at its peak.
Although Friday was a weekly holiday with no academic activities on the campus, candidates and their panels did not slow down. Instead, they reached out to students at halls, mosques, the Shaheed Minar, and nearby residential areas seeking votes.
Candidates distributed leaflets, exchanged views directly with students, and shared their manifestos in a bid to win support. Despite a relatively low student presence on campus on the holiday, aspirants remained active in knocking on doors of voters in nearby neighbourhoods.
During spot visits, candidates were seen campaigning not only at the university's halls, central mosque, and other points on campus, but also in residential areas such as Binodpur, Mirzapur, Kazla, and Meherchandi. Panels backed by student groups including Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), Chhatra Shibir, and Coordination Forum were particularly active after the Jumma prayers.
"Every moment is crucial for us now. That's why we are using even the holidays to reach voters directly," said several candidates, adding that their door-to-door presence has made the election atmosphere more festive.
Students, too, expressed that the lively campaign even on holidays added colour to the election season, though they emphasized the need for peaceful campaign.
On Friday afternoon, after Jumma prayers, theJCD-backed panel "Oikjoboddho Notun Projonmo" was seen campaigning in front of the central mosque.
Sheikh Nur Uddin Abir, contesting for the vice president (VP) post from the panel, said: "Since morning, we campaigned in different messes near campus. After Jumma, we are engaging on campus. Later at night, we will hold projection meetings in several female halls."
Similarly, the Anti-Dominance Alliance panel "Adhipottobirodhi Oikjo" was also active across the campus. Its general secretary (GS) candidate Salahuddin Ammar said: "Our teams campaigned at several mosques in Binodpur, Meherchandi, Kazla, and Mirzapur after Jumma. We also have projection meetings scheduled at female halls in the evening and male halls at night."
The Shibir-backed panel was also visible in several residential mosques. At one mosque in Kazla, Mehedi Hasan, organizing secretary of the RU unit of Chhatra Shibir, said: "In the morning, we campaigned in several halls. Now we are divided into groups, covering residential areas such as Kazla, Binodpur, and Meherchandi. Later at night, we will continue in student messes."
Alongside, panels supported by Chhatra Adhikar Parishad (RUCSU for Radical Change), left-leaning groups under the "Ganotantrik Chhatro Parishad," and several independent candidates were also seen campaigning after Jumma prayers at the central mosque and across the campus. VP, GS, and AGS candidates of different panels said they were dividing themselves into teams to visit messes and meet students directly. They expressed hopes for a free and fair election on September 25.
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