Independent candidate Jitu leading in JUCSU VP race; counting still underway
NN ONLINE:
Unofficial results from six centres of Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (JUCSU) election show that independent candidate Abdur Rashid Jitu is leading in the race for Vice President (VP).
According to initial counts, Jitu has taken a narrow lead in the VP post. Meanwhile, candidates backed by Islami Chhatra Shibir are ahead in the other key positions. Mazharul Islam is leading in General Secretary (GS), Ferdous Al Hasan in Assistant General Secretary (AGS – male) and Ayesha Siddika Meghla in AGS (female) posts.
Vote counting has been completed in 11 out of 21 centres as of filing this report around 9 am on Saturday. The final results are expected to be announced once counting is completed in all centres. Vote counting of the election began on the night of September 11 after it ended amid allegations of ballot stuffing and administrative bias.
A total of 11,743 students were eligible to cast their votes in the election, with turnout reaching around 67-68 percent. A total of eight full and partial panels contested this year’s JUCSU election, though several later pulled out of the race.
The panels that boycotted the polls include the BNP-backed Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, Sampritir Oikya, Swatantra Angikar Parishad, Songshoptak Parishad, and candidates from the Socialist Student Front. Some independent candidates also withdrew from the election.
Among those who stayed in the race were the Jamaat-backed Islami Chhatra Shibir-supported “Combined Students’ Alliance,” the “Student Unity Forum” backed by Ganatantrik Chhatra Sansad, and the independent “Students’ Sammilon” led by former coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, Abdur Rashid Jitu. This year, 177 candidates are contesting in 25 posts JUCSU polls.
Nine candidates are vying for the position of vice president (VP), while eight competed for the general secretary (GS) post.
In the women’s 10 residential halls, 59 out of 150 posts had no candidates, while 67 posts had only one candidate each, resulting in elections being held for just 24 posts. In two of the university’s 21 halls, all candidates were elected unopposed.