The Election Commission of Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (JUCSU) has canceled the candidacy of Amartya Roy Jon, vice-presidential candidate of the ‘Sompriti Oikya’ panel.
The disqualification, reflected in the updated voter and candidate lists, comes amid questions over his eligibility as both a voter and candidate under the university’s election constitution, highlighting strict enforcement of electoral rules and raising discussions on candidate vetting and election transparency.
The commission issued a notice on the university website on Saturday, September 6, at around 4 pm. It stated that Amartya Roy, admitted to the Department of Archaeology under AFM Kamaluddin Hall in the 2017–2018 academic session, has been deemed ineligible to serve as a voter or candidate under Sections 4 and 8 of the JUCSU constitution. Consequently, his name has been removed from both voter and candidate lists.
According to Article 4 of the JUCSU constitution, only regular, officially enrolled students who have cleared all dues to the university and their respective halls are recognized as members of the student parliament and are eligible to vote or contest elections.
Professor Mohammad Mafrohi Sattar, a member of the JUCSU Election Commission, confirmed that Amartya Roy is not a regular student. “The university authorities informed us that Amartya Roy is not recognized as a student, and we acted accordingly,” he said.
Commenting on the matter, Professor Sattar added, “We received a complaint that a candidate was irregular, and we followed the provisions of the JUCSU constitution.”
In response, Amartya Roy told The Times, “We will now take this matter to the full panel and seek a resolution according to the country’s laws.”
This is the first instance of a candidate’s withdrawal by the JUCSU Election Commission since the final list was published on August 29. The withdrawal notice was signed by Chief Election Commissioner Professor Dr Md Moniruzzaman, Member Secretary AKM Rashidul Alam, and members Professor Mohammad Mafrohi Sattar and Professor Dr Lutful Elahi. The notice, however, does not bear the signature of Professor Dr Rezwana Karim Snigdha, a commission member and provost of Begum Sufia Kamal Hall.
When contacted, Professor Alam said, “Madam Snigdha could not be present on Saturday due to illness, which is why her signature is missing from the notification.”
This move has sparked debate over candidate eligibility and the transparency of JUCSU election procedures.
