Voting for the long-awaited Chittagong University Central Students’ Union (CUCSU) and hall union elections concluded on Wednesday afternoon.
Students began casting their votes at 9.30am across six polling centres amid tight security. The balloting continued until 4pm.
The results will be announced after the counting is completed.
According to election officials, no voters were allowed to enter polling stations after 4pm. However, students already in line were permitted to cast their votes beyond the deadline.
A large number of students turned out to exercise their voting rights. Chief Election Commissioner of Cucsu, Professor Dr Monir Uddin, claimed the election was conducted transparently and without major irregularities.
“So far, more than 55% voter turnout has been recorded at various centres,” he said. “Students who are still in line after 4pm will also be allowed to vote.”
The chief commissioner acknowledged receiving a few minor complaints, the most notable being concerns over ink removal. “We investigated but found no such ink in use,” he added.
Voting took place across five faculties, with polling conducted in 15 designated centres for the 15 residential halls. A total of 689 booths were set up in 60 rooms.
Live broadcasts of the voting and counting process were displayed on 14 LED screens across campus. Ballots were cast on paper, while vote counting will be done using Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) machines.
According to the Election Commission, a total of 908 candidates contested the Cucsu and hall union elections. Of them, 415 contested in the central union under 13 panels and as independents, while 493 ran for positions in hall and hostel unions.
A comprehensive security arrangement was put in place across the campus for the election, with a large number of law enforcement personnel deployed.
