Savar, Sep 11 (V7N) – The Chhatra Dal-backed panel has boycotted the Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (JUCSU) elections, alleging rigging and collusion between the university administration and Jamaat-e-Islami to favor the Shibir-backed panel.

The announcement came more than an hour before the scheduled end of voting, when GS candidate Tanzila Hossain Boishakhi held a press conference at around 3:45 pm on Thursday.

Earlier, at an emergency press briefing at Maulana Bhashani Hall at 12:30 pm, the panel raised concerns over the integrity of the elections. VP candidate Sheikh Sadi Hasan alleged that the Election Commission supplied ballot papers and OMR machines from a Jamaat-e-Islami-owned company without following the proper procurement process.

Sheikh Sadi Hasan claimed that when concerns about potential vote counting manipulation surfaced, the Election Commission decided to count votes manually under pressure from teachers and students. However, he alleged, the voting still proceeded using the ballots from the same company, ignoring the panel’s demands.

Expressing strong condemnation, the Chhatra Dal-backed panel accused the Election Commission of biased behavior that undermines the fairness of the elections.

Voting for the JUCSU elections began at 9 am on Thursday and was scheduled to continue until 5 pm. A total of 11,897 students are eligible to vote for 25 central parliament posts, with 177 candidates contesting across eight panels supported by the Left, Shibir, Chhatra Dal, and independent groups.

END/SMA/AJ