RUCSU elections: Voting concludes, counting to begin at 6pm

“The entire process could take 12 to 15 hours to complete,” says the election commissioner

The Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union (RUCSU), hall, and senate student representative elections have concluded without any major irregularities or disturbances.

Voting began at 9am on Thursday and continued without interruption until 4pm.

Those who were within the polling station premises by closing time were still allowed to cast their votes afterwards.

“At 4pm, voting will end. However, those who are standing in line by that time will have their votes counted under special arrangements,” Election Commissioner Prof Parvez Azharul Haque told bdnews24.com at 3:15pm.

“There will be no opportunity to get in line after 4pm. The polling stations will be closed at 4pm.”

He added that the Election Commission would announce the voter turnout after the conclusion of voting.

Regarding the counting process, Azharul said although counting was initially scheduled to begin at 5pm, it would instead start at 6pm.

Election Commissioner Mustafa Kamal Akand said the results would be announced from the Kazi Nazrul Islam Auditorium after the counting was completed.

He explained that once voting in the nine buildings ended, all ballot boxes would be brought to the auditorium.

For ease of counting, batches of 100 ballots would be bundled together and tallied using an OMR machine, monitored by an expert panel.

The final results will be prepared in three stages, Akand said.

Once the results from one hall are finalised, counting for the next would begin.

The entire process, he estimated, could take 12 to 15 hours to complete for the 283 posts.