Four more panels boycott Jucsu polls
Four more panels -- Sampritir Oikya, Swatantra Angikar Parishad, Songshoptak Parishad, and candidates from the Socialist Student Front -- have boycotted the Jahangirnagar University Central Students' Union (Jucsu) election.
"We are deeply frustrated and angry. We are boycotting this election and demand an immediate fresh election under a new commission and a new schedule," said Sharan Ahsan, general secretary candidate of Sampritir Oikya.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. With this, five out of eight panels have withdrawn from the election.
Sharan announced the decision on behalf of the groups at a press briefing held in the Transport Area this evening.
He claimed widespread irregularities, mismanagement and bias by both the university administration and the election commission.
"Students waited 33 years for this election, but the entire process has turned into a nightmare," he said.
The panels cited several irregularities, including polling agents being barred from booths for the first two hours, easily washable voter ink, and leaflets of a particular panel being distributed inside polling booths, especially in women's halls, where male candidates were also allowed to enter.
They further alleged that extra ballot papers were printed, some of which were later found lying around. In Kazi Nazrul Islam Hall, ballot papers were printed without all candidates' names, which were later added by hand.
The groups also accused the administration of deliberately cancelling some candidacies while allowing others to avoid mandatory dope tests. Despite repeated complaints from Shibir, Chhatra Dal and left-leaning panels, the election commission did not change its approach, they said.
Earlier, the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD)-backed panel boycotted the election, alleging widespread irregularities, vote rigging and bias by the university administration.
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