Staff Reporter :
The vote counting in the long-awaited Chittagong University Central Students’ Union (CUCSU) and hall council elections began on Wednesday afternoon (15 October), following a day of largely peaceful balloting across the campus.
According to the university’s Election Commission, the counting began around 5:15pm and was being conducted under CCTV surveillance in the presence of polling agents. Election officials said the process may take seven to eight hours to complete, with the official results expected to be announced on Thursday.
Balloting, which ran from 9am to 4pm, took place in five faculties, with 15 polling centers designated for the university’s 15 residential halls. A total of 689 booths were set up across 60 rooms to accommodate thousands of voters. Although ballots were cast manually on paper, the counting is being carried out using Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) machines to ensure greater accuracy and efficiency.
Election Commissioner Professor Md Anwar Hossain confirmed that the entire counting process is being closely monitored through CCTV cameras. “The process is transparent and secure. Agents from all panels are present, and the footage is being recorded from multiple angles,” he said.
University authorities said they had taken “extensive security measures” throughout the day to maintain order. Pro-Vice Chancellor (Administration) Professor Dr Kamal Uddin told reporters that the administration had received no formal complaints as of Wednesday evening. “Each presiding officer has a photo-based voter list to verify student identities, so there’s no scope for fraudulent voting,” he said, adding that vote counting would proceed without delay.
A total of 908 candidates are contesting this year’s CUCSU and hall council elections — 415 for central positions, representing 13 panels and several independent contenders, and 493 for hall-level posts.
Despite the overall peaceful atmosphere, some student groups alleged irregularities during the day. At a press conference held in front of the CUCSU building around 6pm, Islami Chhatra Shibir-backed vice president candidate Md Ibrahim Hossain claimed that several outsiders were seen inside polling centers, including individuals allegedly associated with the Chhatra Dal’s Alawal Hall unit.
“No one is supposed to enter the campus without an identity card, yet we saw outsiders moving freely. The administration failed to prevent this,” he alleged.
He also accused the Election Commission and university administration of bias, citing inaction against alleged violations of the electoral code by Chhatra Dal activists. “The indelible ink used on fingers was easily removable. The Commission should have been more careful,” Ibrahim said, adding that reports had surfaced of 10–15 ballots being issued without presiding officers’ signatures at the Faculty of Engineering. “Even if this happened due to negligence, those responsible must be held accountable,” he demanded.
Meanwhile, Chhatra Dal leaders also accused the Election Commission of bias. Speaking to reporters near the Faculty of Business Administration around 4:15pm, Chittagong University Chhatra Dal general secretary Abdullah Al Noman said, “This is an incompetent, spineless Election Commission. Our confidence in its neutrality has been completely eroded.”
Election officials have so far refrained from commenting on these allegations. The final results of both the central and hall-level polls are expected to be announced on Thursday in front of the Faculty of Business Administration, where the central tallying center is located.
The Chief Election Commissioner Professor Monir Uddin said that around 70 percent of the total voters cast their ballots in the election. Talking to the media on Wednesday, he said, “We have not yet received data from all centers, but overall, voter turnout stands at approximately 70 percent. The Faculty of Social Sciences recorded 67.17 percent turnout, the IT Faculty 72 percent, and the Science Faculty 69 percent.”
According to the Election Commission, the total number of registered voters in this year’s CUCSU election is 27,516.
Election observers described the polls as largely peaceful but not entirely free from controversy, as both Chhatra Dal and Chhatra Shibir alleged administrative failures and procedural lapses.
University officials, however, maintained that the process had been conducted “fairly, transparently, and without major incidents.”
The official results for both the CUCSU central and hall council elections are expected to be released on Thursday.
