All panels but the one of Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of the ruling Awami League, have boycotted the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (Ducsu) election amid massive allegations of irregularities like rigging.
Liton Nandi, who heads the combined panel of Progressive Students’ Alliance and Anti-Imperialist Students’ Union, along with leaders of some other panels, announced this around 1:00pm on Monday.
Calling the election ‘a farce’, the Ducsu vice-president candidate said, “We are rejecting the election and demanding fresh schedule and voting.”
An independent general secretary candidate, ARM Asifur Rahman, is president of Dhaka University Journalist Association, announced a day-long strike for Tuesday, the day after the election, to push for their demand.
Leaders of some other panels, including that of Chhatra Federation, were also present during the press briefing at the Madhur Canteen.
Just when the panels were announcing the boycott, their followers and activists were holding protests on the campus along with demanding resignation of the vice chancellor whom they blamed for all that made the election come to such a pass.
Later at a separate media briefing, Mostafizur Rahman, a Ducsu VP candidate nominated by Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, the student wing of the BNP, the major rival of the Awami League, also announced their withdrawal from the race.
Now only the panel that remains in the Ducsu election fray is the one led by Bangladesh Chhatra League president Rezwanul Haque Chowdhury Shovon.
Meanwhile, quota reformist panel leader Nurul Huq Nur was assaulted allegedly by some female BCL activists at the Ruqayyah Hall.
Liton Nandi also escaped an attack allegedly by some BCL activists at the Hazi Mohammad Mohsin Hall, where he says he went to observe the polling.
After escaping the attack, he said, “Given that an attempt to attack was made just in front of the hall provost and the returning officer, we may take it for granted that the voting was not taking place fairly.”
Allegations of ballot box stuffing were also found at the Kuwait Matitree Hall and Ruqayyah Hall, where voting faced suspension, though it resumed at the former, local media reports say.
Almost all student organisations except for the BCL had expressed concern over the fairness of the election, in that the ruling party’s student wing already has the control over all the halls at the university, demanding that the polling centres be set up at the academic buildings paving the way for the intimidation-free election.
Voting in elections to the Dhaka University Central Students Union and its hall chapters started at 8:00 pm and it will continue without break until 2:00pm.
More than 43,000 students are expected to exercise their rights in the election.
This Ducsu election is being held after long 28 years, with the last having been held in June 1990.