Ducsu polls: DU students skip unfamiliar candidates, leave ballot boxes blank
Some voters said they did not know many candidates, as they had not campaigned or introduced themselves. Others said voting for all posts took too long, so they marked only familiar candidates before leaving
In the Dhaka University Central Students' Union (Ducsu) elections, voters were allowed to cast 41 votes for central and hall union posts, but many chose not to use all of them.
From 10am to 2pm today (9 September), the polling centres at TSC and the Physical Education Centre reflected this trend.
Some voters said they did not know many candidates, as they had not campaigned or introduced themselves. Others said voting for all posts took too long, so they marked only familiar candidates before leaving.
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Musrat Hossain Mithila, a voter from Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall, said, "As I am a non-residential student, I do not know all the candidates, and I do not feel connected. That is why I left some of my votes vacant."
Rakeeb Nehal Dhipra, a student from Hazi Muhammad Mohsin Hall, said, "As I am a non-residential student, I do not know all the candidates. I felt it was better not to vote for those I do not know."
Another non-residential student from Shamsun Nahar Hall, Pushpita Chowdhury, said she could not relate to the hall candidates as she does not live there. She added that she also did not know some of the general candidates for central Ducsu posts.
"That is why I left some votes vacant. I think I cast around 30 to 33 votes," she told TBS.
Jebin Sultana, a resident student from Ruqayyah Hall, said, "Despite living in the dormitories, I do not know everyone. That is why I did not vote for all the posts.
"I chose not to vote for the unknown candidates. I think I cast around 34 or 35 votes."
Several other students also told TBS that they did not use all 41 votes.
