Staff Reporter :
The long-awaited elections to the Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union (RUCSU), hall councils, and student representatives to the university senate will be held tomorrow (16 October), marking a major milestone in campus democracy after years of dormancy. Preparations have reached their final stage, with booth setup completed by Tuesday night.
At a press conference held at the university’s Senate Building on Wednesday afternoon, the Election Commission announced that voting will take place from 9am to 4pm across 17 polling centers housed in nine academic buildings, comprising a total of 990 booths.
To ensure a smooth and secure voting process, at least 2,000 members of law enforcement agencies will be deployed throughout the campus. Vote counting will be conducted at the office of the RUCSU treasurer, while the official results will be announced later in the evening at Kazi Nazrul Islam Auditorium.
According to the Election Commission, polling centers have been set up in key academic buildings, including the Momtazuddin Academic Building, Dr Muhammad Shahidullah Arts Building, Syed Ismail Hossain Siraji Building, Rabindranath Tagore Academic Building, Jabir Ibn Hayyan Science Building, Jamal Nazrul Islam Science Building, Satyendranath Bose Academic Building, Jagadish Chandra Academic Building, and the Zuberi Building.
Each polling center will serve voters from specific residential halls. For example, Mannujan Hall voters will cast their ballots at Room 156 of the Social Work Department in the Momtazuddin Building, while students from Rokeya Hall and July-36 Hall will vote at different rooms in the Ismail Hossain Siraji Building. Similarly, students from Taposi Rabeya, Begum Khaleda Zia, and Rahmatunnesa Halls will vote at the Rabindranath Tagore Building, while Shahid Habibur Rahman and Shahid Shamsuzzoha Halls will vote at the Jabir Ibn Hayyan Science Building.
The Jamal Nazrul Islam Science Building will host voting for Bijoy-24 and Nabab Abdul Latif Halls, while polling for Sher-e-Bangla Fazlul Haque Hall and Motihar Hall will take place in the Satyendranath Bose Building. Students from Mother Bakhsh Hall and Hossain Shaheed Suhrawardy Hall will cast their ballots at the Jagadish Chandra Building, and those from Syed Amir Ali and Shah Makhdum Halls will vote at the Zuberi Building.
This year, a total of 11 panels, including those backed by the Chhatra Dal and Islami Chhatra Shibir, are contesting the RUCSU election. 247 candidates are vying for 23 central posts, including 18 for vice president (VP), 13 for general secretary (GS), and 16 for assistant general secretary (AGS). The remaining 20 posts have attracted 200 candidates. In addition, 58 candidates are contesting five senate representative posts, while 597 candidates are competing for 15 hall council positions across 17 residential halls.
The total number of registered voters stands at 28,901, including 11,305 female and 17,596 male students.
According to the revised election schedule, polling will take place tomorrow from 9am to 4pm, followed by vote counting and the announcement of results later in the evening.
University authorities have expressed confidence that the election will proceed peacefully and transparently under tight supervision, marking a significant step toward reinstating democratic student representation on the Rajshahi University campus.
