JUCSU results unlikely before noon as weary officials struggle with tally: EC

Only hall votes are being counted while central tally is yet to begin

Counting of votes in the Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (JUCSU) and hall councils elections is crawling on slowly, with final results unlikely before Friday noon.

Election Commission officials say the delay is due to exhaustion among counting staff and the large number of ballots remaining to be processed.

Ballot boxes were brought from hall centres to the Senate Bhaban after polling ended at 5pm on Thursday.

Counting began shortly after 10pm.

At around 2:45am on Friday, Election Commission member Kh Lutful Elahi told bdnews24.com that only the hall council ballots are being counted currently. Once that is complete, the count for the central council will start.

He remarked that it looks unlikely the counting will be finished before the Jummah prayer.

Lutful also said teachers and staff who have been working since polls opened are now doing vote count duties, and their fatigue is slowing down the tally.

“If vote counting for all 21 hall councils is completed by morning; central ballots will then be counted. All told, result announcement may stretch past the prayer time,” he added.