The Chittagong University Central Students’ Union (Cucsu) and hall union elections have been postponed.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Election Commission Secretary Prof AKM Ariful Haque Siddique announced that the polls had been pushed back by three days in response to candidates’ demands. Voting will now take place on October 15 instead of October 12.
On Monday, the date of the Rajshahi University polls had also been postponed. Voting there, originally scheduled for Thursday, has been rescheduled for October 16. As a result, the Cucsu and Rucsu elections will now be held on consecutive days in October.
Prof Ariful Haque said the decision was made at a commission meeting held on Tuesday.
Explaining the reason, he said that in a view exchange with students on Monday, most candidates and students requested a postponement, saying they did not have enough time for campaigning. The final list of candidates will be published on September 25. The university will then remain closed the following day, leaving only five days for campaigning once classes resume.
The secretary added that candidates feared not all students would be able to return to campus immediately after the break, as the campus is located far from the city. “That is why they requested an additional couple of days for campaigning. The commission also felt that five working days might not be sufficient for preparation, since university staff are heavily engaged in the polls. Though there is a nine-day closure, the working days are more important for us,” he said.
He added that considering both the commission’s preparations and the students’ interests, the matter was discussed with the vice chancellor. “That way, both student participation and the commission’s readiness could be ensured,” he said.
Prof Ariful said the chief election commissioner raised the matter at the commission meeting, after which members unanimously decided to shift the voting date from Sunday, October 12, to Wednesday, October 15. The deadline for withdrawal of nominations has also been extended from Tuesday to Wednesday.
In addition, all examinations of departments and institutes scheduled between October 12–18 have been postponed due to the polls, and as per rules, the university will remain closed on the day following the election, he added.
The last Cucsu polls were held on February 8, 1990. Despite discussions over the years, no election has since been organized.
Following changes in the country’s political landscape, Cucsu is now being held under a non-partisan government, like in other public universities. The election schedule was announced on August 28, with voting originally fixed for October 12.
According to the schedule, September 16 was set for receiving nomination papers, and September 17 was the last date for submission. On that final day, Chhatra Dal applied to extend both the collection and submission deadlines.
The commission later extended both deadlines by one day. Now, the deadline for withdrawal of candidacy has also been extended by one day.
Objections to candidacies will be received and settled on Wednesday, while the final list of candidates will be published on September 25.