The Islami Chhatra Shibir-backed panel has secured a sweeping victory in the Chittagong University Central Students’ Union (CUCSU) election winning 24 posts including that of vice president (VP) and general secretary (GS).
The assistant general secretary (AGS) post went to a Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) candidate.
According to results compiled until around 3:45 am Thursday, Shibir-supported candidates under the 'Sampreetir Shikkharthi Jote' panel won the top two posts.
Ibrahim Hossain Rony was elected VP with 7,983 votes, while Saeed Bin Habib won the GS post with 8,031 votes.
Meanwhile, Chhatra Dal-backed candidate Ayubur Rahman secured the AGS post, receiving 5,254 votes.
Apart from VP and GS, Islami Chhatra Shibir candidates won 22 other posts while Chhatra Dal secured another post and one position went to an independent candidate.
Voting took place peacefully on Wednesday from 9 am to 4 pm, with only a few isolated incidents reported, according to the Election Commission.
CUCSU voting underway peacefully amid allegations of irregularities
Voting was conducted on paper ballots and counting was done using OMR machines.
Results were displayed live on 14 LED screens.
University authorities said the official results would be formally announced later Thursday on completion of the vote count.
Chittagong University pro-Vice Chancellor (Administration) Professor Dr Kamal Uddin said the vote counting has been completed and now preparations are underway to announce the results formally.
The voting was held in five faculties of the university, across 15 centers designated for 15 residential halls.
A total of 689 booths were set up in 60 rooms, with voter turnout reaching around 60 percent by 4 pm.
The entire polling and counting process was displayed live on 14 LED screens across the campus.
Ballot papers were used for voting and the results were processed using Optical Mark Reader (OMR) machines.
According to the Election Commission, 24 candidates vied for vice president (VP), 22 for general secretary (GS), and 21 for assistant general secretary (AGS).
CUCSU election to be held tomorrow amid festive atmosphere
Other portfolios include sports, culture, publications, welfare, research and IT.
Each hall and hostel union has 14 posts, with 908 candidates in total.
Meanwhile, leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) confined the Pro-Vice Chancellor of Chittagong University to a building for nearly an hour and a half early Thursday, protesting alleged rigging during the vote count of the Chattogram University Central Students' Union (CUCSU) election.
Pro-VC Professor Mohammad Kamal Uddin was held hostage around 1:00am at the Faculty of Engineering’s IT Building where the vote counting was underway.
Chhatra Dal leaders alleged that their Vice President (VP) candidate for the Suhrawardy Hall students' union election was defeated through manipulation.
They demanded a re-count of the votes cast in Room 312 of the Engineering Faculty.
According to campus sources, police arrived around 2:30am in an attempt to escort the Pro-VC from the building.
However, as they reached the main gate of the building, Chhatra Dal activists again blocked their way, preventing his exit.
The Pro-VC was seen in discussions with Chhatra Dal's president, general secretary, and other leaders around 3 pm regarding the allegations raised over the Suhrawardy Hall vote.
Chhatra Dal claimed that their VP candidate, Jamadiul Awwal, received 1,203 votes, while Islami Chhatra Shibir-backed candidate Niamat Ullah allegedly won the post by securing 1,206 votes — a margin the JCD leaders suspect resulted from irregularities.
When asked about the incident, Pro-VC Professor Mohammad Kamal Uddin told reporters, “After the results were announced, I was leaving the hall when a group of students blocked my way, demanding a re-count of the votes. I informed them that such matters should be addressed to the election commissioner. But they did not accept that and kept me confined in a room for nearly 90 minutes. Later, police came and rescued me.”