Rakibul Islam Rakib, the central president of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, has warned that if there is any vote rigging or irregularities in the Chittagong University Central Students’ Union (CHAKSU) or Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union (RAKSU) elections, Chhatra Dal will bring the entire country to a standstill.
He issued this warning on Thursday (October 16) during a protest rally held at Shahbagh in Dhaka.
Speaking at the rally, Rakib said, “University administrations are clearly working in favor of Chhatra Shibir. We witnessed similar manipulation during the Dhaka University student union elections. The same pattern is repeating in the CHAKSU and RAKSU polls. Chhatra Dal stands for justice—we will not tolerate any form of vote theft.”
He further added, “In the past, Chhatra Shibir corrupted the political environment of Chittagong University through violence and intimidation. Now, once again, they are trying to establish dominance with sticks and force. They may think Chhatra Dal is weak, but we warn them—if we take to the streets, there will be no room for Shibir in Bangladesh’s student politics.”
CHAKSU Elections Held After 35 Years
After a long gap of 35 years, elections to the Chittagong University Central Students’ Union (CHAKSU), as well as hall and hostel student unions, were held on Wednesday. Voting began at 9:00 AM and continued until 4:00 PM. A total of 13 student panels contested the election, with 908 candidates vying for 232 posts.
Each student had to cast votes for 40 positions—26 for the central union and 14 for their respective hall union. The Election Commission allocated a maximum of 10 minutes per voter, which meant roughly 20 seconds per vote. However, the commission assured that voters were given adequate time.
Voting was conducted using traditional ballot papers, while counting is being carried out using the Optical Mark Reader (OMR) system. Under this method, voters filled in circles to mark their choices.
In the central student union, 415 candidates contested 26 positions, while 493 candidates competed for 14 positions in the halls and one hostel. Among them, only 47 were female candidates. The total number of registered voters was 27,518.
After voting ended, ballot counting began immediately using the OMR method. Results for hall unions are being announced at the polling centers, while the results for the central student union will be declared at the Faculty of Business Administration auditorium.
To ensure a fair and transparent election, faculty deans were appointed as returning officers, and department heads acted as presiding officers. Voter lists included photographs for verification. To facilitate transportation for students commuting from the city, the number of shuttle train trips was increased to 11 for the day, along with 15 buses operating on campus routes.
