Voting for the Jagannath University Central Students’ Union (JnUCSU) and hall council elections has begun.
As per the schedule, polling started at 9am on Tuesday and will continue until 4pm.
This is the first-ever JnUCSU election in the 21-year history of Jagannath University.
Previously, when it operated as Jagannath College, a college students’ union election was held in 1987. The inaugural JnUCSU election has generated visible enthusiasm among students.
From early morning, teachers, officials, staff and journalists have been entering the campus under strict security and surveillance. They are allowed entry through the university’s second gate after showing pass cards.
A total of 38 polling centres have been set up for the central council and one for the hall councils. There will be one voting booth for every 100 students. Votes will be counted using six OMR machines after polling concludes.
To ensure a smooth and peaceful election, the university administration has issued specific instructions for student voters.
According to the guidelines, students must enter the campus through Gate No 1 to cast their votes and exit through Gates No 2 and 3 after voting.
Teachers, officials and staff have been instructed to enter the campus only through Gate No 2 before the designated time, with mandatory ID card verification. Movement in and out of the campus during polling hours has been restricted except for emergency purposes.
Family members of staff residing on campus are also barred from moving around during voting hours. A medical team will remain on campus from the start of polling until the announcement of results. Officials and staff not assigned election duties have been instructed to remain at their respective workplaces.
Polling was initially scheduled for December 30, but the university administration postponed the election following an emergency syndicate meeting after the death of former prime minister Begum Khaleda Zia.
After student protests and demands, January 6 was later fixed as the new date for the JnUCSU election.