Chatra Dal Boycotts Voting an Hour Before Close, Alleging Irregularities

The Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal-supported panel boycotted the Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (JUCSU) and hall union elections, citing allegations of widespread irregularities, just an hour before the polls closed at 5:00 pm on Thursday, September 11.

The boycott was announced around 3:45 pm during an urgent press briefing by the panel’s general secretary candidate, Tanzila Hossain Baishakhi, who was joined by the vice-presidential candidate, assistant general secretary candidates, and other party leaders.

Baishakhi claimed that the election was marred by rigging, including the use of ballot papers printed by a company allegedly linked to Jamaat-e-Islami, as well as CCTV cameras and other equipment sourced from the same entity to favor the Islami Chhatra Shibir-supported panel. She further alleged that polling agents were denied entry at designated times and that female members of a specific student organization were allowed to vote multiple times. Voting, which began at 9:00 am across the university’s 21 residential halls, marked the first JUCSU election in 33 years. The boycott announcement has heightened tensions, casting a shadow over the historic democratic exercise.