TDS Desk:

Voting in the elections for Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union (RUCSU), hall unions, and student representatives in the senate will be held on 15 September as the RU authorities announced the election schedule after a deadlock of 35 years.

Chief election commissioner Professor Enamul Haque announced the details of the RUCSU election schedule at the RU senate building at 3:30 pm on Monday.

Prior to announcing the poll schedule, CEC Amzad Hossain said, “We believe this election will play a historic role in protecting the university’s image, maintaining and strengthening the academic environment, preserving a democratic atmosphere, and creating competent leadership among the students. With this election ahead, the RUCSU Election Commission is now announcing the schedule.”

According to the detailed schedule signed by the RUCSU CEC, the code of conduct for the election will be published on 31 July. The draft voter list will be released on 6 August, objections to the voter list will be accepted on 7 August, and the settlement of objections will take place from 10 to 12 August. The final voter list will be published on 14 August.

The schedule also states that nomination papers will be distributed from 17 to 19 August, and they can be submitted on 21, 24 and 25 August. Scrutiny of nomination papers will be held on 27 and 28 August. The preliminary list of candidates will be published on 31 August, and the last date for withdrawal of candidacy is 2 September.

The final list of candidates will be announced on 4 September. Voting will take place in every residential hall on 15 September from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Vote counting and result announcement will be held on the same day.

Replying to a query on security situation centering elections following the schedule announcement, Election Commissioner Professor Mostafa Kamal Akand said, “We have already held several meetings with student political organisations and bodies regarding security and all related matters. Besides, we have spoken to teachers, officers, employees, and all stakeholders before announcing the election date. Regarding any election-related issues, we request all stakeholders, including journalists, to observe the situation. We will evaluate your observations and take any positive decisions needed to ensure a fair election.”

According to university sources, the RUCSU was established in 1962, about a decade after the founding of the university. Since then, a total of 14 elections have been held, the last one in 1989.

Following the July uprising, various student organisations, student representatives, and socio-cultural bodies demanded the RUCSU election. In response, the university administration released a roadmap for the election on 27 February. However, there was no significant progress according to the roadmap. Following continuous student movements, the university authorities finally announced the detailed election information on Monday afternoon.