Jucsu polls: Manual counting, absence of polling agents, CCTV monitoring delay results
Jucsu CEC says vote counting could take the whole night
Highlights:
- Vote counting delayed over 30 hours after Jucsu polls
- Manual system, absent agents, CCTV delays slowed counting
- Polling officer's sudden death further disrupted vote tallying
- Candidates allege irregularities, ballot stuffing, administrative bias
- Five panels withdrew midway, citing rigging and flaws
- Election commission member resigned over irregularities, credibility questioned
More than 30 hours after polling ended in the long-awaited Jahangirnagar University Central Students' Union (Jucsu) and hall union elections, counting of votes for the central council was still ongoing until 11pm yesterday, even as hall council results were completed in the evening but not officially published.
The slow counting was due to manual counting, absence of polling agents, and delays in CCTV monitoring, according to election officials and university administration.
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Chief Election Commissioner Moniruzzaman said the pace of counting further slowed following the death of Jannatul Ferdous, a fine arts assistant professor and a polling officer.
Moniruzzaman added that after consultations with the university vice-chancellor, the counting had resumed. "We have completed the hall council votes, and central council counting is underway."
He also confirmed that results of the Jucsu and 21 hall union elections would be announced once counting is completed. "We are working to declare results tonight. However, we can't give an exact time; it might be in the late hours." He added the counting may even take the whole night.
Meanwhile, the delay has triggered mixed reactions among candidates, amid allegations of irregularities, ballot stuffing, and administrative bias.
Md Majharul Islam, general secretary candidate of Chhatra Shibir-backed Samonnito Chhatro Jote panel, called for additional staff to accelerate counting.
Speaking at a press briefing, Majharul claimed that BNP-leaning professors were involved in a scheme, supported by the administration.
He criticised the use of the old manual counting system, arguing that an OMR system would have been more efficient. He also blamed Chhatra Dal for allegedly delaying counting by making false claims about Shibir's role in the OMR system.
Touhid Mohammad Siam, GS candidate of Bangladesh Gonotantrik Chhatra Sangsad's Chhatro Oikko Forum, said, "Manual counting is time-consuming and difficult. Those counting votes are not fully skilled, so delays are expected."
Despite the delays, polling itself ran smoothly across the campus of nearly 12,000 students, with around 67% turnout from 9am to 5pm on Thursday.
However, five of the eight panels, including the Chhatra Dal-backed group and several independents, withdrew midway, citing vote rigging, procedural flaws, and bias.
Tanzila Hossain Boishakhi, Chhatra Dal's general secretary candidate, alleged that polling officers from Shibir entered some centres an hour before voting began and engaged in ballot manipulation.
Why the delay
University Proctor and Election Commission Member Secretary AKM Rashidul Alam explained that manual counting, absence of polling agents, and delays in CCTV monitoring contributed to the slow process.
Preparations had been made for OMR counting, but at the request of several candidates, authorities reverted to manual counting, which naturally takes longer.
Rashidul said some halls started voting late, while others saw temporary suspensions. In two of the largest halls, voting surged between 4:30pm and 5pm, requiring all queued students to vote before ballot boxes could be transported, delaying counting until around 9:30pm.
Initial manpower and resource shortages also slowed early counting stages, though additional tables and staff were arranged later.
Lutful Elahi, a member of the Election Commission, added that the sudden death of their colleague further disrupted proceedings. Counting was also paused from 12:30pm to 2:30pm for Friday prayers.
Some halls had separate ballot boxes for central and hall elections, adding time to sorting and counting. Space constraints, office equipment shortages, and limited tables initially slowed progress, though later arrangements improved the pace.
EC member resigns
Mafruhi Sattar, pharmacy professor and member of the election commission, resigned from the commission yesterday, citing widespread irregularities in the elections, as well as a lack of cooperation from the commission.
"I repeatedly requested the commission to address the complaints and the problems that arose during the voting process, and to suspend the election until those issues were resolved," he said.
Earlier, Mafruhi expressed concern over the ongoing election process, terming it "abnormal" after results of five hall union elections started surfacing on social media before the completion of the vote counting.
"The situation is unusual. The role of the election commission is being questioned," he told reporters. "Who is discharging the duties of the commission? Who is publishing results on Facebook before the vote counting is even complete?"
He said the premature dissemination of results had cast doubt over the entire electoral process. "Personally, I find the entire situation abnormal. The credibility of the election is now under question," he added.
Regarding the resignation, Ferdous Al Hasan, assistant general secretary candidate from the Shibir-backed panel, said, "Mafruhi resigned only because he failed to push through his own agenda.
"If the election was full of irregularities, why did it take him 30 hours to resign?" he asked.
