The commission for the elections to the Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union and hall unions on Wednesday deferred the polls by 13 days, while candidates for the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union and hall union elections continued their campaign for the second day amid violations of the electoral code of conduct.
RUCSU chief election commissioner Professor F Nazrul Islam at a press conference on Rajshahi University campus revealed the revised schedule and announced that the RUCSU and hall union elections would be held on September 28 instead of the earlier fixed date of September 15.
Amid criticisms, the RUCSU election date was later in the evening shifted to September 25 from September 28, according to a notice.
Besides, Jahangirnagar University student Rabbi Hossain, who is also a vice-president candidate, on Wednesday morning began fast unto death on the campus, demanding a mandatory dope test of all candidates contesting in the upcoming Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union elections, scheduled for September 11, ¶¶Òõ¾«Æ·â€™s JU Correspondent reported.
¶¶Òõ¾«Æ· Staff Correspondent in Rajshahi reported that the new polling date for RUCSU elections had created controversy as Durga Puja would be celebrated during the time.
‘We were preparing to hold the polling in the centres at residential halls. But, in view of students’ demands, we have decided to relocate the polling centres to the academic buildings. Additional time is also needed for mandatory dope test of candidates and preparing the voter list with photographs,’ said Nazrul.
The leaders and activists of Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir, the student wing of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, brought out a protest procession on the campus, terming the rescheduling a conspiracy to derail the elections.
DUCSU candidates on the day campaigned in festive mode on the DU campus amid alleged violation of electoral code of conduct as the taskforce for the electoral code of conduct removed banners, festoons and boards placed on several places on the campus.
Golam Rabbani, the convener of the task force, at a press conference, said that candidates were allowed to distribute black and white posters, leaflets or handbills for campaigning but some panels and independent candidates placed banners, festoons and boards violating the electoral code of conduct.
During a visit, banners, festoons and boards of Islami Chhatra Shibir’s panel, Meghmallar Bose-led left organisations’ panel, independent candidate Umama Fatema-led panel and some candidates from Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal’s panel and a number of independent candidates were seen at different places on the campus.
Chhatra Dal’s panel on the day submitted a letter to the election authorities demanding to increase the polling centres.
The DUCSU and hall elections are scheduled for September 9.
About the revised schedule for RUCSU polls, RU unit Chhatra Shibir general secretary Mujahid Faisal said, ‘The commission has deferred the voting date to favour a particular student organisation. Moreover, the new date overlaps with the religious festival of our Sanatani brothers, which will prevent their participation.’
Fuad Ratul, the RU unit convener of Samajtantrik Chhatra Front, said that they would not accept the revised election schedule and demanded that the elections should be held on September 15.
Chhatra Dal, which had earlier applied to the commission for delaying the elections, did not collect any nomination forms for the RUCSU and hall union polls until Wednesday.
According to the revised schedule of RUCSU elections, students will be able to collect the nomination papers until August 31, while the final list of candidates will be declared on September 16.