Boycotting panels call for DUCSU polls to be scrapped

Candidates from panels boycotting the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) polls have demanded the election be scrapped and called a protest on Tuesday.

Leftist student panel vice presidential candidate Liton Nandi announced the protest during a rally in front of the vice chancellor’s office at 5 pm on Monday as counting began.

The rally was attended by the quota reform panel, the Shatantra Jote panel, and independent candidates and their representatives.

Candidates from nearly all panels, aside from the Bangladesh Chhatra League, had announced they would boycott the election before voting ended at most halls at 2 pm.

Chhatra Union General Secretary Liton Nandi said:

“On behalf of all the parties and panel representatives who are boycotting the election, I call upon students to boycott classes to protest at the RAJU statue at 10 am on Tuesday and demand the election results be scrapped and the vice chancellor resign.”

He also gave the administration two conditions.

“We will protest tomorrow if the DUCSU election is not scrapped and the results are announced tonight. Do not consider this a strike. Everyone should come to the campus, but should not attend class.”

The counting of votes was underway at several halls during the announcement. One or two halls had even announced their results.

The boycotting candidates brought allegations of fraud and various irregularities to the chief returning officer before they conducted the rally.

They then took up positions in front of the vice chancellor’s office. They announced the next protest and marched across the campus.

Vice Chancellor Prof Md Aktaruzzaman said that ‘aside from one or two isolated incidents’, the election had been ‘festive’.

The Bangladesh Chhatra League, the ruling party’s student wing, has also claimed the election was fair.

Though voting was to begin at all 18 of Dhaka University’s residential halls at 8 am and end at 2 pm, polls were delayed and suspended at Ruqayyah Hall and Bangladesh Kuwait-Maitree Hall due to reports of irregularities and resulting student protests.

Students at Kuwait Maitree Hall say they found sacks of marked ballot papers before polls opened.

Students at Ruqayyah Hall say they found a stash of ballot papers behind the voting booths and snatched the ballots alleging voting fraud.