DUCSU polls ballot boxes sent to halls despite objection

The authorities have sent ballot boxes and papers to residential halls on the eve of the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union or DUCSU polls discounting objections by many organisations over vote rigging concerns.

The university administration started sending the boxes to the halls from the Senate Building on Sunday afternoon.

Hours earlier, candidates of Progressive Students’ Unity and different other groups visited the Registrar Building to submit their demand for steps to ensure fair elections.

Liton Nandi, a vice-president candidate, expressed concerns over steel boxes that are not transparent.

He also demanded that the boxes be sent to the polling stations in the morning before the voting from 8am to 2pm on Monday.

“Ballot boxes cannot be sent at night. They must be opened and shown to the media and general students before being placed at the centres in the morning,” the leader of the leftist student organisations said.

Professor Abdul Basir, a returning officer, said the ballot boxes will be opened and shown to the candidates before being sealed off in the morning.

All the student groups, except the ruling Awami League’s affiliate Bangladesh Chhatra League or BCL, have expressed fear of intimidation as the halls of residence have been designated as polling stations.

They also expressed concern over the lack of means to transport non-residential students.

Liton, general secretary of Bangladesh Students’ Union, alleged that the authorities and BCL were apparently working in league with each other to ensure victory of the pro-government candidates.

The campaign was supposed to stop at 8am on Sunday but many BCL leaders were seeking votes at classrooms in the afternoon, he alleged.

Liton demanded that the authorities do not restrict movement of journalists on the campus during the polls.

Mostafizur Rahman, a leader of the BNP’s Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal and VP aspirant, alleged the candidates of the organisation had been prevented from campaigning. 

The results may even be changed during the counting, he feared. 

He also alleged that BCL activists were planning to create such a situation that will discourage general students from voting.

BCL’s DU unity General Secretary and DUCSU AGS candidate Saddam Hossain refuted the allegations brought by Mostafizur and Liton.    

The authorities were doing whatever they deemed fit, Saddam said, adding that the BCL had “nothing to do with the administration’s activities”.