Exactly 28,901 ballot papers—matching the number of registered voters—have been printed for the Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union (RUCSU), Senate, and hall union elections scheduled for Thursday, the Election Commission confirmed.
“There are no extra ballots. We’ve printed exactly 28,901, equal to the number of voters,” Election Commissioner Prof Dr. Mostafa Kamal Akand said at a press conference on Wednesday.
“Not a single one more or less. Each polling centre will receive the precise number of ballots allocated. There is no scope for excess or shortage,” he said.
In addition, he clarified that the ballots were printed only by trusted presses experienced in handling university examination materials, not by any random or unverified printing houses, saying, “We ensured that professionals with experience in university exams and question papers handled the printing.”
He also said that printing extra ballot papers is not a practice anywhere in the world.
“Voting will take place in 17 centres across 9 academic buildings, comprising 990 booths,” he added.
The commissioner also said the university has procured a sufficient number of watermark reader machines for vote counting, which will allow results to be announced within 15 to 17 hours after the polls close.
“All election activities will be under CCTV surveillance, and transparent ballot boxes will be used to ensure transparency,” Prof Akand said.
A total of 212 teachers are involved in conducting the polls, 17 as presiding officers and the rest as assistant presiding officers, along with 91 polling officers.
Besides, a total of 2,000 police personnel, 6 platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), and 12 platoons of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) have been deployed to ensure security, he said.
Chief Election Commissioner Prof Dr F Nazrul Islam, Chief Returning Officer Prof Dr Setaur Rahman, and other election commissioners were present.
Security heightened ahead of RUCSU polls
This year, RUCSU has 28,901 registered voters, including 11,305 female and 17,595 male students.
In the central student union election, 247 candidates are contesting 23 posts, while 58 candidates are competing for five Senate seats.
A total of 18 candidates are contesting for the position of Vice President (VP), 13 for General Secretary (GS), and 16 for Assistant General Secretary (AGS).
In the hall union polls, 597 candidates are contesting for 252 posts across 17 halls, of which 42 candidates have been elected unopposed.
Meanwhile, 58 candidates are contesting for 5 Senate seats.
The university administration has also formed a 10-member monitoring committee headed by retired economics professor Dr M Rafiqul Islam to observe and report on the overall election atmosphere.
Rajshahi Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mohammad Abu Sufian said that multiple law enforcement units are working jointly to ensure a peaceful and orderly election.