DUCSU candidates allege journalists, polling agents barred from voting centre

The returning officer refutes the allegations, saying agents and observers are inside

Candidates in the Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) election has alleged that journalists and polling had been blocked from entering the University Laboratory School and College centre during the vote.

SM Farhad, the general secretary (GS) candidate from the Islami Chhatra Shibir-backed panel, said that no journalists were allowed inside the centre between 9am and 10:30am on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Khairul Ahsan Marjan, GS candidate backed by Islami Chhatra Andolan, said that his polling agent was denied entry altogether.

But the station's returning officer, Shahidul Zahid, dismissed the complaints.

“Polling agents are here -- two of Marjan’s agents are sitting inside. Our observers are also present,” he said. On the issue of media access, he pointed to live coverage earlier in the morning: “News has been broadcast live from here on BanglaVision.”

Around 10:30am, bdnews24.com photojournalist Mahmud Zaman Ovi attempted to enter the centre but was told at the gate that entry was “not possible at the moment”.

The centre has been designated for students of Shamsun Nahar Hall, both residential and non-residential, and has 4,096 registered voters.

Voting began at 8am across eight centres and will continue until 4pm in 810 booths. Nearly 40,000 students are eligible to cast their ballots. A total of 471 candidates are vying for 28 DUCSU posts, alongside more than 1,000 others contesting 234 hall union seats.