Jucsu polls: Frustration as counting drags on
More than a day after voting ended in the long-awaited Jahangirnagar University Central Students' Union election, the authorities were still struggling to complete the vote count, triggering mounting anger and suspicion.
Besides, the death of a teacher called for counting duty cast a pall of gloom over the campus.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. The Jucsu election, held after 33 years, had raised high hopes among students eager to see their union revived. Yet by yesterday night, the excitement had given way to frustration as results were repeatedly delayed.
As the night wore on, the combination of slow counting, administrative resignations, and the tragic death of the young teacher left the campus tense and uncertain.
The results, originally expected to conclude yesterday morning, were first deferred to noon and then to night. At 8:20pm, the election commission issued an emergency notification saying the tallying would continue through the night.
As of 10:00pm, 24 hours after the counting began, the process was completed for 21 hall unions. The counting of votes of the central union began afterwards. The counting was underway at 1:00am.
Jucsu Chief Election Commissioner Md Moniruzzaman told reporters in front of the Senate Bhaban yesterday evening that the process might take the whole night.
He also said all the election officials were under surveillance and they were asked not to share results before the official announcement.
Officials admitted the process had slowed down because of the decision to abandon OMR machines and return to manual counting, a shift made following demands from several candidates.
The commission later doubled the number of counting tables from five to 10 in the morning, with additional CCTV cameras installed. But even with these adjustments, results remained out of reach.
Commission Member Secretary and University Proctor AKM Rashidul Alam said they had been prepared for machine counting, but had to improvise after the last-minute change. "Since we were not fully trained in manual counting, the process started very slowly," he admitted.
He also explained that voting itself began late in two halls, and in some centres was briefly paused. Two large halls, each with over 1,000 voters, saw very low turnout until the afternoon, when long queues formed around 4:30pm, half an hour before voting was supposed to end.
As rules required all voters in line to cast ballots, boxes from those halls only reached the commission around 9:30pm on Thursday, pushing the start of counting to 10:00pm.
Missing polling agents added to the holdup, Alam said.
DEATH, RESIGNATION
The crisis deepened when Prof Mafruhi Sattar, a member of the five-strong election commission, resigned yesterday evening, citing the body's failure to address irregularities. Earlier on Thursday afternoon, three pro-BNP teachers assigned to centrally monitor the polls quit over allegations of irregularities.
"I failed to address the allegations that were raised," Prof Sattar told journalists, adding that the allegations -- rigging, vote manipulation, and mismanagement -- were true.
The pro-BNP Jatiyatabadi Shikkhok Forum's Jahangirnagar University unit, of which Prof Sattar is the convener, "strongly condemned the farcical election".
In a statement last night, it said they believe the spread of misleading information against BNP's student wing Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) on the night before the election and the irregularities on election day are linked.
The election was "arranged to ensure the victory of candidates from a particular political group. We also demand a fair settlement of the complaints and the holding of an acceptable election," the statement read.
However, the Islami Chhatra Shibir-backed Shikkharthi Oikya Forum, questioned Prof Sattar's resignation, terming it a "farcical act" and dismissing the allegations of irregularities as "baseless".
Their assistant general secretary candidate Ferdous Al Hasan asked how Prof Sattar, despite being the chief of the pro-BNP teachers' forum, was made a member of the EC.
Zahiruddin Mohammad Babor, convener of JCD's JU unit, said Prof Sattar's resignation from the commission proved that the allegations they raised earlier in the day were true.
Earlier in the morning, the atmosphere grew heavier after the sudden death of Jannatul Ferdous Moumita, 32, a fine arts teacher who had been working as a polling officer at Pritilata Hall. She fell sick while reporting to duty and was declared dead at Enam Medical College Hospital in Savar.
Prof Sultana Akter, returning officer at Nawab Faizunnesa Hall, accused the election commission and university administration of mismanagement that pushed Moumita beyond her limits.
ANGER, SUSPICION
Despite the explanations, candidates and officials accused the commission of poor preparation, inadequate planning, and mismanagement. They argued that the administration had failed to consult experienced hands despite the scale of the polls, which required tallying three separate ballots per voter.
Students too voiced discontent. "We were excited and hopeful, but this delay is killing that joy," said public administration student Shazid Sikder Shawon. "If the process is fair, why is it taking so long to count just 11,000 votes?"
The Shibir-backed Oikya Forum demonstrated demanding the completion of counting by night and threatened to launch a tough movement otherwise. Swatantra Shikkharthi Sammilon, another panel, also pressed for immediate results.
At a press briefing, Oikya Forum general secretary candidate Mazharul Islam alleged that BNP-backed teachers and JCD leaders were conspiring to stall the process by raising "flimsy excuses".
An executive member candidate from the panel, Mohammad Ali Chisty, said in the Ducsu polls at Dhaka University, results for some 40,000 votes were announced within hours. "Here we have only 11,000, yet everyone is exhausted and disappointed. If needed, more manpower should be deployed."
Meanwhile, Shibir's Dhaka metropolitan (east) unit brought out a procession from the north gate of Baitul Mukarram in the evening, protesting against the delay in vote counting at JU.
Joined by central leaders, the procession ended at the Jatiya Press Club.
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