JnUCSU polls: Voting underway in a festive atmosphere

Voting in the Jagannath University Central Students’ Union (JnUCSU) and Hall Students’ Union elections got underway on Tuesday in a festive and peaceful atmosphere.

Polling began at around 9:00am and is set to continue uninterrupted until 3:30pm.

From early morning, students started casting their ballots, marking a historic moment in campus politics. Long queues of voters were observed outside polling centres.

These are the first such elections since Jagannath University was elevated to full university status.

About 16,500 students are expected to vote at 178 booths set up across 39 polling centres. In addition, 1,242 students will cast their votes in a hall union election.

According to the Election Commission, 38 of the polling centres have been designated for the central students’ union, while one separate centre has been allocated for the hall parliament.

Law enforcement personnel and volunteer teams have been deployed alongside the university administration to ensure security.

Vice-Chancellor Prof Dr Md Rezaul Karim said the administration had taken all necessary steps to ensure the long-awaited JnUCSU election is held in a free, fair and impartial manner. He described the election as crucial for nurturing a democratic culture and developing student leadership, and expressed hope that voters would participate in a disciplined and celebratory spirit.

University Proctor Prof Dr Muhammad Tazammul Haque said adequate security arrangements had been made and expressed confidence that they would remain effective until voting concludes.

According to the candidate list published on the official website, four candidates are contesting the Liberation War and Democracy post, nine for Education and Research, five each for Science and Technology and Health and Environment, four for Law and Human Rights, eight for International Affairs, seven each for Literature and Culture, Sports, and Library and Seminar, four for Transport, ten for Social Service and Student Welfare, and 57 candidates vying for seven member posts.

In the women’s hall, a preliminary list of candidates has been released for 13 posts, including three candidates for Vice-President (VP) and General Secretary (GS) each, two for Assistant General Secretary (AGS), two for Literature and Publication Secretary, four for Culture Secretary, two for Library Secretary, two for Sports Secretary, three for Social Service and Student Welfare Secretary, four for Health and Environment Secretary, and eight candidates contesting four member positions.

The JnUCSU election was originally scheduled for December 30 but was postponed following the death of former prime minister and BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia.