Members of the Student Unity Forum, supported by the Bangladesh Gonotantrik Chhatra Sangsad (BAGCAS), raised serious concerns regarding the recent JUCSU elections. They criticized the JUCSU election commission for its unprofessional conduct, alleging a lack of competence and confusion surrounding the election process.
The panel members emphasized that these issues severely impacted the integrity of the elections and misled the students.
The press conference took place in front of the university’s Election Commission building at 1:30 am, where key members of the Student Unity Forum expressed their grievances. They called for immediate action and transparency to address the irregularities observed during the polls.
Present at the briefing were Vice President (VP) candidate Abdus Rashid Jitu, General Secretary (GS) candidate Touhid Siam, and other members of the panel.
When asked about the overall situation of the election, Abdus Rashid Jitu said, “This year’s JUCSU election was entirely unprofessional. The election commission’s members demonstrated a severe lack of competence, and their efficiency was extremely lacking. They misled the students with confusing statements regarding the ballots. Though there were talks of doping tests, we have no confirmation if every candidate underwent such tests, and the commission has not provided us with any clear information about when the results will be announced.”
He continued, “On the eve of the election, the presence of former Chhatra Dal leaders at the election commission’s office raised serious doubts about the neutrality of the election. Despite repeated requests, the commission failed to inform us about appointing polling agents until the day before the
election.
Even though the election code prohibits campaigning on election day, candidates from Chhatra Shibir and Chhatra Dal distributed leaflets and campaigned in halls such as Kazi Nazrul Islam Hall and Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Hall. When we protested, mobs were created by Shibir supporters, and hall authorities played an inactive role.”
Addressing allegations of vote manipulation, he said, “In several halls, including Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Hall, Jahannara Imam Hall, and Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall, voters were allowed to cast votes without confirming their identities. In many halls, voters were not given ink after voting. In Kazi Nazrul Islam Hall, a situation arose where the ballot paper for the Assistant General Secretary (AGS) position had space for three candidates, but only one candidate’s name was written by hand on the paper.”
BAGCAS GS candidate Touhid Siam commented, “After 33 years, the JUCSU election was finally held, but it did not meet expectations. We have witnessed the incompetence of the election commission and observed violations of the election code of conduct by some candidates.”
Concluding the press briefing, he said, “A bad election is better than no election for JUCSU.”
