Voting in the 38th Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (Ducsu) elections concluded on Tuesday at 4pm. The election witnessed much fanfare and celebrations among students, excited to be voting in the first such election to occur in six and a half years.
For the most part, the voting, which saw massive lines weave their ways out of polling booths and into the streets of the Dhaka University campus, elections were held under peaceful conditions.
However, the eight hours of voting, beginning at 8am, were not without its controversy.
Allegations aimed at both student candidates and DU administration were levelled, with certain candidates alleging that certain ‘major’ parties were in cahoots with the administrative body, which was helping them to rig the election.
In this Ducsu election, 471 candidates were contesting for 28 positions, among whom 62 were female candidates. The highest number of candidates, 217, were competing for member positions.
Additionally, a total of 1,035 candidates were contesting for 13 positions across the university’s 18 halls, vying for the favour of 39,775 voters. Among them, 20,873 were male students and 18,902 were female.
Voters were not allowed to enter the voting centres with bags, mobile phones, smartwatches, any kind of electronic device, water bottles, or any liquid substance.
This time, the votes for the Ducsu election will be counted using Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) machines. The vote counting will be displayed on LED screens outside each centre.
Finally, the overall results from all centres will be announced at the Senate Building auditorium.
