Chhatra Union alleges 12 irregularities in Ducsu polls
Meghmallar Basu, president of the Dhaka University unit of Chhatra Union claimed that a vested quarter has been trying to portray them in a negative light since the July Uprising
Bangladesh Chhatra Union (one of the factions) has raised 12 specific allegations of "irregularities and inconsistencies" in the recently-held Dhaka University Central Students' Union (Ducsu) and Hall Sangsad elections.
The claims were made during a press conference at Madhur Canteen on campus today (25 September).
Meghmallar Basu, president of the Dhaka University unit of Chhatra Union and general secretary candidate from the Resistance Council panel, supported by the left-leaning Democratic Students' Alliance, presented the allegations through a written statement.
Keep updated, follow The Business Standard's Google news channel
He claimed that a vested quarter has been trying to portray them in a negative light since the July Uprising.
Meghmallar further alleged that numerous individuals, including a Jamaat-e-Islami candidate, were illegally present on campus with fake press passes to influence the polls.
He said that despite their initial doubts about the "partisan and failed Jamaat administration's" ability to hold a fair election, they had cooperated based on repeated assurances from Dhaka University's teachers.
However, he stated that the university's administration failed to resolve even a single complaint they had raised, completely disrespecting the electoral process.
The 12 allegations of irregularities and inconsistencies pointed out by the Chhatra Union are:
1. News of various fraudulent activities, including the supplying of ballot papers to voters in favour of a specific panel at various polling stations including the one at TSC, and signing of the voter list without the voter's presence, have been circulated in the media during the election period.
2. As inconsistencies were observed in the voter presence and voting rate at various polling centres, most of the panels and several independent candidates have previously applied to the Dhaka University administration for the list of signed voters and CCTV footage of the polling stations. However, despite repeated assurances in this regard, the administration did not take any effective action.
3. There was no serial number on the ballot papers. In addition, the number of ballot papers printed, the number of ballot papers supplied, used and cancelled at the centres, and the number of ballot papers returned after voting were not disclosed anywhere.
4. No information was disclosed about the place from which the ballot papers used in the election were printed. There have already been allegations of vote rigging through fake ballots leaked from unsafe printing presses.
5. On 7 September 2025, a large number of ballot papers for the Ducsu and hall sangsad elections were found unprotected in a printing house in Gausul Azam Market in Nilkhet, where it was confirmed that there was no surveillance by the administration.
6. There were allegations of OMR manipulation. In a video recorded by a polling agent at a polling centre, it was seen that the candidate for whom the vote was cast on the ballot paper, then placed under the OMR machine was shown in the software as being cast for another candidate. The administration did not issue any statement about this incident either.
7. Four days after the Ducsu elections, at a special event organised by the DU administration on 13 September, four days after the Ducsu elections, a few teachers and technicians were present during the verification of the accuracy and reliability of the vote counting machine and software, but the voters and candidates were not informed about this.
8. The list of polling agents was published at midnight before the voting, where agents of various centres proposed by the candidates themselves were excluded. The process through which the agents were selected was not disclosed.
9. There have been allegations of voters not getting indelible ink on their fingers and the same voter going to vote more than once. It is worth noting that an elected member of Ducsu raised this allegation in the media on the day of the election, but the administration did not comment on the matter.
10. After the voting was over, polling agents witnessed many irregularities during the counting of votes. These include delay in starting the counting of votes, illegal presence of candidates from a certain panel at the counting place, obscuring of the counting machine and programme, and keeping polling agents away from the machines during the counting. These have risen various fears in the minds of the agents.
11. There is ambiguity about the process by which polling officers were appointed. Although the chief returning officer was supposed to appoint polling officers, he said that they were appointed by the DU administration. Lacking even the slightest understanding of the electoral code of conduct, various polling officers have influenced the election by giving wrong information about the electoral code of conduct and raising false allegations of violation of the code of conduct against candidates.
12. The use of opaque ballot boxes has led to various complaints and controversies. Voters had been asked to cross their ballot papers with ballpoint pens as markers ran out at many polling stations. Several polling agents have observed that many votes were not counted because the OMR machines could not read the crossed votes correctly.
