After technical glitch, JnUCSU authorities decide on machine-based vote counting
The polling started at around 9am and continued uninterrupted until 3:30pm
Vote counting for Jagannath University Central Students' Union (JnUCSU) and hall union elections was suspended due to a mechanical fault in the counting machines.
Following discussions later in the night, the election authorities decided to proceed with counting votes using machines, Election Commissioner Professor Kaniz Fatema Kakli at around 11:30pm on Tuesday.
According to Kaniz Fatema Kakli, a meeting was held with all election commissioners, university stakeholders, and all panel-based and independent vice-president (VP) and general secretary (GS) candidates.
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The meeting reached a unanimous decision on the counting process.
As per the decision, ballots from one polling centre where around 300 votes were cast will first be counted manually.
The same ballots will then be counted using machines from two separate companies.
The machine whose results most closely match the manual count will be selected to count the remaining ballots.
During the process, votes will also be randomly counted using both machines. In addition, some ballots will be manually counted and then rechecked through machines to test the machines' performance.
After completing the entire process, the results of the election will be announced together.
Earlier, at around 10pm, election commissioners and the university administration held a meeting with VP and GS candidates at the vice-chancellor's conference room.
Previously, the suspension had come after discrepancies were detected in the OMR machines used for counting votes, JnUCSU Election Commissioner Associate Professor Anisur Rahman told reporters tonight (6 January).
The Election Commission will hold a meeting in the Vice-Chancellor's conference room with candidates for vice president (VP) and general secretary (GS) posts to decide the next steps regarding vote counting, he said, adding that the media will be informed of the outcome.
Explaining the malfunction, he said, "We were counting votes using two machines, but each was showing different results. We ran trial counts over the past three days, and this problem had never occurred before."
Earlier, authorities recorded an estimated 65% voter turnout in the polls.
JnUCSU Election Commissioner Professor Zulfikar Mahmud shared the turnout figure this evening and formally announced the start of the counting process.
Voting began at 9am and continued uninterrupted until 3:30pm at 178 booths across 39 polling centres on the university campus. After polling concluded at all centres, ballot boxes were transported to the central control room set up at the university's central auditorium.
According to the JnUCSU Election Commission, a total of 190 candidates were declared final contestants for 34 posts. Of them, 157 candidates contested 21 posts of JnUCSU, while 33 candidates vied for 13 posts of the university's only female hall union.
The Election Commission data show that the total number of registered voters in the election stands at 16,665.
Candidates from four panels participated in the polls. These panels include the Chhatra Dal, Chhatra Odhikar Parishad and general students' alliance-backed panel 'Oikyoboddho Nirbhik Jobian'; the Islami Chhatra Shibir-supported panel 'Odommo Jobian Oikya'; the left-leaning alliance-backed panel 'Maulana Bhasani Brigade'; and the Jatiya Chhatra Shakti-supported panel 'Oikyoboddho Jobian'.
In addition to the panel-based candidates, several contestants also took part in the election as independents.
The key central posts saw intense competition, with 12 candidates contesting for the vice-president (VP) position, nine for general secretary (GS), and eight for assistant general secretary (AGS).
Students began casting their votes from the morning, marking a significant day in campus politics. Long queues of voters were seen in front of the polling centres.
This is the first time such elections are being held since Jagannath University was established as a university.
Law enforcement agencies and volunteer teams were deployed alongside the university administration to maintain security.
Vice-Chancellor Prof Md Rezaul Karim said, "The university administration has taken all necessary measures to ensure that the long-awaited JnUCSU election is conducted in a free, fair and impartial manner. This election is extremely important for fostering a democratic environment and leadership development at the university. I hope voters will exercise their voting rights in a disciplined manner in a festive atmosphere."
University Proctor Prof Muhammad Tazammul Haque said adequate security measures have been taken in connection with the elections.
He also expressed the hope that these measures would remain in place until the completion of the polling.
According to the list published on JnU's website, there are four candidates for the Liberation War and Democracy post, nine for Education and Research, five for Science and Technology, five for Health and Environment, four for Law and Human Rights, eight for International Affairs, seven for Literature and Culture, seven for Sports, four for Transport, ten for Social Service and Student Welfare, seven for Library and Seminar, and 57 candidates competing for seven member posts.
In the women's hall, a preliminary list of candidates has been published for 13 posts. These include three candidates for Vice-President (VP), three for General Secretary (GS), two for Assistant General Secretary (AGS), two for Literature and Publication Secretary, four for Culture Secretary, two for Library Secretary, two for Sports Secretary, three for Social Service and Student Welfare Secretary, four for Health and Environment Secretary, and eight candidates competing for four member posts.
The JnUCSU election was scheduled to be held on December 30 but was postponed following the demise of former Prime Minister and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
