The elections to the Chittagong University Central Students鈥� Union and hall unions were held on Wednesday amid allegations of irregularities, including the absence of voter signatures on ballot papers and the use of erasable ink during balloting.
Voting began at 9:30am and continued until 4:00pm, with the CUCSU election commission expecting to announce the results by midnight.
The voter turnout was 70 per cent of 27,516 voters in the polls held after nearly 35 years of the last ones.
Earlier on the day, some candidates and agents raised complaints about the use of erasable ink and the absence of voter signatures during balloting.
The Binirman Shikkharthi Oikya panel lodged a written complaint with the CUCSU election commission, alleging that indelible ink was not used at one centre and that ballot papers were issued without polling officers鈥� signatures in several rooms.
According to the complaint, about 80 ballots were distributed without signatures in room 223 of the Business Faculty centre, 17 ballots in room 122 of the Science Faculty centre, and about 20 ballots in room 214 of the IT Faculty centre.
However, the election commission and university administration said that since photo-based voter lists were used, the ink mark on voters鈥� fingers was not essential as proof of voting, nor was a signature at the time of casting ballots necessary.
Chief election commissioner professor Monir Uddin, however, said that the polls were conducted peacefully and enthusiastically.
About 70 per cent of students exercised their voting rights, he said.
鈥楢longside the OMR ballot system, we ensured a transparent and neutral process through photo-based voter lists,鈥� he said.
CU vice-chancellor professor Muhammad Yeahia Akhter told 抖阴精品, 鈥楿nlike Dhaka University and Jahangirnagar University, we used photo-based voter lists to enhance transparency in the CUCSU polls. Vote counting was being carried out using OMR technology.鈥�
They added that the media had full access to information and students cast their votes in a cheerful and festive atmosphere.
Throughout the day, polling took place under tight security, with members of police, RAB, APBn, and BGB deployed across the campus.
The university administration restricted entry of outsiders and vehicles during the election period.
In the afternoon, leaders of the panels of Bangladesh Jatiatabadi Chatra Dal and Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir alleged that some outsiders were seen roaming on campus without any identity cards. The election commission and police denied the allegation.
Meanwhile, tension erupted at the Arts Faculty after the voting ended as supporters and candidates of the two student organisations locked into arguments.
The incident began when the LED projector showing vote counting updates outside the centre went off, leading to an argument between supporters of Chhatra Dal and Chhatra Shibir in front of the faculty building.
Former CU Chhatra Dal general secretary Saifuddin Salam Mithu, who was present at the scene, said that the LED projector at the new Arts Faculty building had been off for about an hour.
鈥榃hen general students protested at it, outsiders and supporters of another organisation attacked us. We sought explanation from the university and election officials over the projector鈥檚 issue, but received no answer. That鈥檚 why students demonstrated in front of the faculty gate.鈥�
Former CU Islami Chhatra Shibir president Rajibul Hasan Bappi alleged that some Chhatra Dal activists had tried to break the faculty lock and enter the building illegally.
Upon hearing this, general students resisted the attempt and prevented them from entering the building, he said.
Chattogram district police superintendent Saiful Islam Santu, who visited several centres earlier in the day, told reporters that the polls were peaceful.
He said that adequate number of police in uniform and plainclothes were deployed to ensure security.
