Kamruzzaman Khan and KM Jadid Bin Khalid
The Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (Jucsu) election concluded amid widespread allegations of vote rigging, mismanagement, and counterclaims from rival panels. The election, held after 33 years, saw Chhatra Dal and Chhatra Shibir face off against each other.
From the morning, the campus was under tight surveillance, with 1,200 police officers deployed at various points across the university. The election, which began at 9am and concluded at 5pm, took place two days after the Ducsu polls, in which Islami Chhatra Shibir achieved a sweeping victory, defeating its archrival, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD). The Jucsu election thus became a face-off between the two student organisations.
A large presence of BNP and Jamaat outsiders was reported around the campus, and the university administration detained a JCD vice president for staying in a hall. Security measures on campus were heightened after the voting, which was boycotted by most of the contesting panels and candidates. JCD had been demonstrating on the campus the previous night, protesting irregularities in the voting.
Approximately 90 minutes before the voting ended, JCD announced a boycott of the election due to irregularities. Tanzila Hossain Boishakhi, the General Secretary (GS) candidate from the JCD panel, made the announcement at a press conference.
Shortly afterward, three members of the Nationalist Teachers’ Forum resigned from their roles in the election commission. Later, four more panels – Shompreetir Oikkyo, Shongshoptok Parshad, Samajtantrik Chhatra Front, and Shotontro Ongikar Parishad – boycotted the polls and demanded a re-election for Jucsu. Several independent candidates also expressed solidarity with the boycott.
Of the total 11,747 voters, 5,728 are female, and 6,015 are male. Some 177 candidates contested 25 positions. Voting was held across 224 booths in 21 halls. A total of 8,016 votes were cast. Each booth was managed by one returning officer, 67 polling officers, and 67 assistant polling officers.
Professor Mafruhi Sattar, a member of the Jucsu Election Commission, reported that by 2pm, over 50 per cent of voters had cast their ballots. While a few isolated incidents led to temporary suspensions in voting at certain centres, they were quickly addressed, and voters were given the opportunity to vote once the issues were resolved.
Shamim Reza, the returning officer for Preetilata Hall, stated that there were disruptions due to power outages and rain. However, by 2:45 pm, 160 of the 399 voters had cast their votes, showing a voter turnout of 40.10 per cent in the first five and a half hours. The counting of votes began at 7pm, and polling officials confirmed that the votes would be counted manually.
No end to accusations
During her press conference, Tanzila Hossain Boishakhi accused the election process of being rigged. She claimed that Chhatra Dal’s vice president candidate was denied entry to Tajuddin Hall, and voting machines purchased from a Jamaat leader’s firm were faulty, causing the ink to fade. She mentioned that the voter list at Tajuddin Hall had no photos, resulting in a two-hour delay in voting at the hall.
Boishakhi said despite the cancellation of the faulty OMR machines, the ballots from that institution were still being used for voting. Boishakhi also alleged that in Jahanara Imam Hall, an independent candidate was physically attacked, and a mob was created. She further claimed that all polling agents of Chhatra Dal were denied entry to the halls, and members of Chhatra Shibir repeatedly cast votes in women’s halls by changing their ID cards.
“There is no way a fair election is taking place in JUCSU,” Boishakhi stated, labelling the election as engineered and fraudulent. She added, “We are forced to boycott the election in protest.”
These accusations were rejected by Sharmeen Nasreen Joly, the provost of Bangamata Fazilatunnesa Hall.
Shibir rejects rigging allegations
In response to Chhatra Dal’s boycott, Arifulah Adib, the vice president candidate from the Shibir-backed “Shomonnito Shikkharthi Jote” panel, stated that Chhatra Dal had boycotted the election after realising their imminent defeat.
He said, “The people of Bangladesh, post-2024, want fair elections. Just like in DUCSU, the Shibir-backed panel has gained an overwhelming majority in JUCSU as well. The allegations against us are baseless.” Adib further rejected the accusations about the OMR machines, claiming that the company providing the machines was actually run by BNP affiliates.
On the issue of election rigging, Adib stated that while several problems arose during the voting, no rigging occurred, and there was no justification for boycotting the election. Earlier in the day, Adib had raised concerns about 101 additional ballots being sent to Salam-Barkat Hall. He said the administration failed to provide a valid explanation for the extra ballots, violating the decision that no additional ballots would be sent to any hall.
He also accused Chhatra Dal leaders of being involved in ballot paper distribution the night before the election and observed former students’ movements on campus. “We reported these issues to the Election Commission, but no action was taken,” Adib said.
Adib insisted that the irregularities should be addressed quickly, stating, “If the election is fair, our panel will win in all positions. Whether we win or lose, we will accept the result, as long as the voting process is free and fair.”
Fairness of polls questioned
The left-wing “Shompreetir Oikkyo” panel also raised concerns about the fairness of the JUCSU and Hall Union elections. During a press conference in Murad Square, the general secretary candidate for this panel, Shoron Ehsan, claimed that candidates were only allowed to place polling agents in centres after 2am the previous night. When the agents arrived at the centres in the morning, they were harassed.
Ehsan further stated that irregularities began with the disqualification of Amartya Roy Jon’s VP candidacy. He added that several of their polling agents were denied entry to the centres, and the administration’s actions raised serious questions about the integrity of the election process.
In the evening, the “Shongshoptok Parshad” panel, supported by the Socialist Students’ Front, announced their boycott of the election over allegations of irregularities, confirmed Sohagi Samia, joint general secretary (Women) candidate from the panel. The panel also reported that at Sheikh Hasina Hall centre, ballot stuffing occurred by members of the Islami Chhatri Sangstha, the female student unit of Shibir.
It claimed that despite 299 registered voters at Shaheed Salam Barkat Hall, 400 ballot papers were sent to the centre, and the voter list had no photos. The same issue was reportedly found at Rafiq-Jabbar Hall.
In their written statement, Shongshoptok Parshad called for unity among all participants and students to collectively resist the alleged electoral fraud carried out by the administration and Chhatra Shibir.
