Highlights
- Independent candidate Sajib Hossain questioned whether the voting process in the DUCSU and Hall elections was neutral.
- Complaints of partiality and violation of election rules were raised against the Election Commission.
- Another candidate, Rakib Hossain Gazi, also accused the Commission of giving advantage to a particular group.
- Several candidates, including Abidul Islam Khan and Umama Fatema, rejected the results.
Allegations from Independent Candidate Sajib Hossain
Independent panel candidate for Central Member post, Md. Sajib Hossain, raised serious questions about the neutrality of the election process. He spoke at a short press conference held at Dhaka University’s Madhur Canteen on Wednesday, September 10.
He claimed that while casting his vote in Shahidullah Hall, his chosen candidates’ votes did not appear in the final count.
“গতকাল শহিদুল্লাহ হলে ভোট প্রদান করি কার্জন হলে। যেখানে তিনটি প্রধান পদে নিম্ন রুপে ভোট প্রদান করেন ভিপি পদ প্রার্থী আবিদ, জিএস পদ প্রার্থী সম্রাট, এজিএস পদ প্রার্থী আশিকুর রহমান জীম। যার মধ্যে জিএস সম্রাটের ভোট ০ দেখানো হয়। আমার প্রশ্ন আমি নিজ হাতে ভোট দিলাম আমার ভোট গেল কই?”
Translation: “Yesterday, I cast my vote from Shahidullah Hall at Curzon Hall. I voted for three major positions—Abid for VP, Samrat for GS, and Ashiqur Rahman Jim for AGS. But the result showed GS candidate Samrat’s votes as zero. My question is, I cast my vote with my own hands, so where did my vote go?”
He also stressed that if any ballot was cancelled, the reason must be shown, since there was no justification for cancellation in this case.
Complaints About Rule Violations
Sajib further alleged that some irregularities took place inside polling centres:
“কেন্দ্রের ১ মিটারের ভেতরেও অনেকে ভোটার স্লিপ প্রদান করেছেন, যা আচরণ বিধির লঙ্ঘন ছিল। কিন্তু কমিশনের তরফ থেকে কোনো ব্যবস্থা নেওয়া হয়নি এগুলো কী পক্ষপাত দুষ্ট আচরণ নয়।”
Translation: “Inside the centre, within one meter, many distributed voter slips, which was a violation of the code of conduct. But the Commission took no action. Isn’t this a biased act?”
According to him, the Election Commission was supposed to treat all candidates equally. Instead, some were treated well while others unfairly, which he said was completely unacceptable.
Another Candidate Echoes the Allegations
At the same press conference, Rakib Hossain Gazi, a candidate for Health and Environment Secretary from the “DUCSU for Change” panel, also accused the Election Commission of bias.
He said that rules regarding distribution of candidate slips were ignored, and that the Commission treated different candidates unequally. He also claimed that certain groups were given more advantage during campaigning.
Declared Results of the Election
Despite these allegations, results declared by the Election Commission showed a landslide victory for the Shibir-backed panel.
- Vice President (VP): Abu Sadiq (Sadiq Kayem) won with 14,042 votes. His closest rival, BNP-backed Abidul Islam Khan, got 5,708 votes. Independent candidate Umama Fatema secured 3,389 votes, while Shamim Hossain received 3,681 votes.
- General Secretary (GS): SM Farhad won with 10,794 votes. His nearest rival, BNP-backed Tanvir Bari Hamim, got 5,283 votes. Meghmallar Basu of Protirodh Parishad received 4,949 votes, and Abu Bakar Majumdar of Baisommo Birodhi Panel got 2,131 votes.
- Assistant GS (AGS): Mohiuddin Khan won with 11,772 votes. His closest rival, Tanvir Al Hadi Mayed from BNP-backed panel, received 5,064 votes.
Candidates Reject the Results
Several candidates, including Abidul Islam Khan and Umama Fatema, have already rejected the announced results. Another leader, Abdul Kader, also strongly criticized the election process, alleging widespread vote rigging.
Election Day and Participation
The DUCSU election was held on Tuesday, September 9, from 8 AM to 4 PM across the Dhaka University campus.
- Polling centres: 8
- Booths: 810
- Total voters: 39,874 students
- Female students from 5 halls: 18,959 voters
- Male students from 13 halls: 20,915 voters
In the DUCSU election, a total of 471 candidates contested for 28 posts.
In 18 hall unions, there were 234 posts, contested by 1,035 candidates.
This meant each student had to cast 41 votes in total.
Source: Daily Ittefaq
