Rajshahi University vice-chancellor Professor Saleh Hasan Naqib on Sunday assured that results of the forthcoming Rajshahi University student union elections would be announced within 12–15 hours after the end of voting.
‘The results will be verified multiple times, both manually and digitally, to eliminate any counting errors. If there are no technical disruptions, the full results will be announced within 15 hours,’ he told reporters at a press briefing at the university’s senate building about noon.
With the RU Central Student Union elections just four days away, the vice-chancellor iterated his administration’s firm commitment to hold fair and transparent polls, while saying that the vote counting would be covered live on camera.
About 2,000 uniformed and plainclothes police personnel would be deployed on the campus on polling day to ensure security, alongside other law enforcement agencies, he also said.
Pro-vice-chancellor (administration) Professor Mohammad Main Uddin said that the RUCSU building was being prepared to enable the new student representatives to start office immediately after RUCSU elections to be held on October 16.
Pro-vice-chancellor (academic) Professor Farid Uddin Khan, registrar Professor Iftikharul Alam Masud and public relations office administrator Professor Akhtar Hossain Majumder also attended the briefing.
Meanwhile, Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal-backed Oikyoboddho Notun Projonmo panel on Sunday unveiled a 10-point manifesto for the RUCSU, hall union and senate student representative elections, to be held after a long 35-year gap.
The panel’s vice-president candidate Sheikh Nur Uddin Abir, general secretary candidate Nafiul Islam Jibon and assistant general secretary candidate Jahin Biswas Esha announced the manifesto at a press conference held at Shaheed Minar.
Their pledges include building a modern and knowledge-driven campus ensuring student representation, establishing separate halls for married students, formulating an academic calendar, introducing satellite internet (Starlink) and air-conditioned libraries, reopening the university railway station with discounted train fares for students, and setting up of an anti-violence cell for campus safety.
They also promised a road map for full residential accommodation.
On Sunday the RUCSU election commission led by its election commissioner Professor Mostafa Kamal also held a meeting with polling agents, briefing them on voting procedures, counting methods, code of conduct and security measures.
The election commissioner explained at the meeting that after voting hours starting from 9:00am to 4:00pm would end, ballot boxes from all the polling centres would be transported to the Kazi Nazrul Islam Auditorium for counting.
Votes would be grouped into bundles each containing 100 ballots and would be scanned by Optical Mark Recognition machines under the supervision of a technical panel, he said.
‘The counting will be done in three phases, hall by hall, and we expect to announce the final results within 14–16 hours,’ he said.
Leading up to the election day on Thursday, candidates intensified their campaigns on Sunday, distributing leaflets and seeking votes across the campus.
Independent candidate for cultural affairs secretary BSM Anwar Amjad was seen playing a dotara and singing folk songs to promote his manifesto at Tukitaki Chattar.
Candidates of the Islami Chhatra Shibir-backed Sammilita Shikkharthi Oikyo panel, JCD-backed Oikyoboddho Notun Projonmo panel and left-leaning RUCSU For Radical Change panel were also seen campaigning actively across the campus.
