Ripon and Roton both were members of the last BCL central committee. Ripon is an MSS student of sociology department at Dhaka University (DU) and Roton is an MPhil student of Philosophy at DU.

After the announcement of the election results, the new president and general secretary met Leader of the Opposition also President of AL Sheikh Hasina at her Sudha Sadan residence after placing wreaths at a portrait of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Bangabandhu Bhaban on Road 32 of Dhanmondi in the capital.

Welcoming the new BCL top leaders, Hasina directed them to work together to establish students' rights at first with campuses free of hooliganism. The AL chief also directed the new BCL leaderships to fight against militancy, criminal activities, corruption and 'misrule' of the BNP-Jamaat alliance government.

"We have created a milestone in student politics through casting votes into transparent ballot boxes," Hasina said adding, "What we have done in the history of student politics, the alliance government could not."

Hasina asked them to concentrate on education along with forging movements against the alliance government. She also directed them to take necessary steps to form committees for all organisational units with regular students as early as possible to teach a 'good lesson' to the BNP-Jamaat coalition government.

Ripon won the post of president receiving 1008 votes while his nearest competitor Kamrul Hasan got 763 votes. Fourteen persons competed for the post of the president.

Roton won the post of general secretary by bagging 660 votes. Two other general secretary candidates Hasibul Islam Mithu Kotowal got 307 votes and Salehin Raza got 287 votes among 24 candidates.

The poll was held in the Institute of Engineers, Bangladesh auditorium on Tuesday with transparent ballot boxes and identity cards for the councillors. A total of 21,00 councillors cast their votes to elect the top two leaders. The chief election commissioner of the council, Balaram Poddar told The Daily Star that 11 votes were not counted, as the ballots were faulty.

Balaram Poddar officially announced the election results at AL office in Dhanmondi after counting the votes around 5:00pm in presence of hundreds of BCL leaders and activists.

After the election results were announced, AL Joint General Secretary Obaidul Quader and other leaders accorded reception to the newly elected president and general secretary on behalf of Sheikh Hasina amid claps and cheers.

Pointing finger at AL's archrival BNP and its student body Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), Obaidul Quader said they have created a new model for student politics which could be a new model for the upcoming national elections too.

The full-fledged committee will be announced within the shortest possible time, Obaidul Quader told The Daily Star.

Welcoming the new office bearers, outgoing BCL President Liaqat Sikder said the new leadership will forge a people-student united movement to oust the BNP-Jamaat alliance government.

General Secretary Nazrul Islam Babu urged BCL activists and leaders across the country to help the new body snatch victory in the upcoming national elections.

Expressing reaction to journalists, newly elected BCL leaders said they will fight together to establish hooliganism free campuses.

Saying that the election to elect new BCL leadership was held freely and fairly, the newly elected BCL President Ripon told The Daily Star that they will emphasise students' rights at first and then they will fight to put an end to the misrule of the four-party alliance government.

Recalling the contribution of the father of the nation in establishing the country, the new BCL General Secretary Roton said they will contribute together to build up the nation that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman dreamt of.

Hundreds of BCL leaders and activists gathered at the Dhanmondi AL office at about 10:00am and the vote counting began 30 minutes later in presence of senior AL and BCL leaders.

Since morning, BCL leaders, activists, candidates and their supporters thronged the AL office.

Additional number of police and plainclothesmen were deployed at the office to avert any untoward incident.

Sweets were distributed on Dhaka University campus including at Modhu's Canteen and Teachers Students Centre.

JCD'S REACTION
Welcoming the new BCL president and general secretary, JCD President Azizul Baree Helal said AL has established autocracy by making junior BCL members the top leaders. "Junior leadership in Chhatra League will damage the stability of the student politics as they have no leadership experience at any level," Helal said.

Asked whether JCD would bring any change in their politics after the radical change in BCL leadership, Helal said the party high command will take the decision in this regard.

"It is not logical that only the current students could get involved in student politics in the country. A situation like that is only possible when there are student unions in every educational institution in the country," the JCD president added.

SOME OTHER REACTIONS
Different front organisations of AL and different student organisations, including Awami Secchwashebok League, Chhatra Sangram Parishad, Bangladesh Chhatra Union, Samajtantrik Chhatra Front, Chhatra Federation and some other organisations welcomed the new president and secretary of BCL.