The voting for the Jagannath University Central Students’ Union (Jnucsu) election ended on Tuesday afternoon.
Students who were already in queues at the polling centres within the scheduled time were allowed to cast their votes after 3pm. The voting began at 9am.
According to the university’s Election Commission decision, no new voters were allowed to enter the polling centres after 3pm. But those who were already waiting in line continued to exercise their rights.
While voter turnout was low in the morning, it began to rise after 11:30am.
Large banners, booths, and crowds of voters outside the JnU campus disrupted traffic in the area. University buses were seen parked from Shankhari Bazaar to Ray Saheb Bazaar and, on the other side, up to Lakshmi Bazaar.
Commuters heading toward Sadarghat as well as local residents faced difficulties in the area. At the same time, students and parents of nearby educational institutions expressed concern over security.
A guardian of a Dhaka Collegiate School student said, “The schools are open today. Holding such an election on a day like this worries us about our children. If any untoward incident occurs, who will take responsibility for these kids?”
Meanwhile, significant crowds were noticed near Koltabazaar water tank, Kabi Nazrul Government College, Bangla Bazaar, and Shankhari Bazaar. When asked about their identities, they acknowledged to TIMES of Bangladesh that they were local political activists.
JnU students also expressed concern over the presence of such crowds around the campus.
Md Ibrahim, a third-year student, told TIMES, “Earlier we have seen that local political activists clashed with university students and tried to interfere in internal decisions. In this situation, their presence today naturally raises concern.”
The JnU administration said that security measures had been strengthened to maintain order during the JnUCSU election. Members of law enforcement agencies were deployed in Bangla Bazaar, Sadarghat, Islampur, Shankhari Bazaar, Bahadur Shah Park, Lakshmi Bazaar, and Koltabazaar. In addition, water cannons, ATCs, and ambulances were kept ready to handle any untoward situation.
