Chhatra Dal panel’s VP candidate alleges blueprint for Chhatra Shibir victory

Vice-President (VP) candidate from the Chhatra Dal-backed panel in the Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (JUCSU) and hall union elections, Sheikh Sadi Hasan has accused the Election Commission of bias.

He also alleged that a “blueprint” has been prepared to secure victory for Islami Chhatra Shibir.

Speaking at an emergency press conference at Maulana Bhashani Hall around 1:00 pm on Thursday, four hours after voting began, Sadi Hasan said the Chhatra Dal-backed panel had been encouraged by the overwhelming support of general students and was optimistic of winning in the JUCSU election.

In a written statement, he alleged, “On the night before voting, we saw on social media that the Election Commission procured JUCSU ballot papers and OMR machines for vote counting from a relatively unknown company, linked to Jamaat-e-Islami, bypassing due purchase procedures.”

“This was done with the intention of ensuring victory for the Shibir panel,” he added.

The VP candidate further claimed, “We feared manipulation in vote counting. Later, when the matter came to light and teachers and students protested, the Election Commission abruptly reversed its decision and announced in a notification. It said that votes would be counted manually instead of using OMR machines. However, today’s election is still being conducted with ballot papers supplied by the same company.”

Accusing the university administration, Sadi Hasan alleged that Shibir had separately collected ballot papers through their own company and had devised a plan to rig the election.

He also claimed that a large number of Jamaat-Shibir leaders and activists had gathered in and around the university campus, creating fear among ordinary students.