Candidates of the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) polls are doubtful whether the time allocated for the polls will be enough for all the voters to exercise their franchise.
Only six hours have been allocated for the DUCSU election that is scheduled to be held on Mar 11.
A total of 42,923 Dhaka University students will be exercising their franchise for 38 posts and they will each get three minutes to do so.
In the upcoming polls, 229 candidates will be vying for 25 executive posts in the central students union. There are 21 candidates for the Vice President (VP) post, 14 for General Secretary (GS) and 14 for Assistant General Secretary.
Moreover, there are 509 candidates in total for 13 posts in 18 halls of residential hall union.
DU sources said that each voter will get two ballot papers, one for central union and one for the hall union polls.
Several candidates have been demanding that the time be increased since the schedule was announced.
An independent DUCSU panel proposed to place 359 voting booths in 18 of the halls to ensure that everyone can vote.
Meanwhile, independent candidate ARM Asifur Rahman, who is vying for the post of general secretary, submitted a memorandum to the university vice-chancellor.
“Voting will take place from 8 am to 2 pm on Mar 11. However, I’m afraid that it’s not possible for all the voters to cast their franchises for both the DUCSU and hall union polls within that time,” he said in his memorandum.
“I request that voting time be changed to 8 am to 6 pm,” he added.
Asifur told Bangla Tribune that they want the maximum number of votes to be cast.
“But we don’t know how many booths will be set up for six hours of voting,” he said.
On the other hand Chhatra Federation Dhaka University unit President Umme Habiba Benzir who is vying for the post of general secretary said that they have demanded the voting time be from 8 am to 4 pm.
Bangladesh Shadharan Chhatra Adikar Shangrakkhan Parishad’s VP candidate Nurul Hoque Noor said that the DUCSU polls hadn’t taken place since ’90.
“The 8 am-2 am time was fine then, but there are more students now,” he told Bangla Tribune.
Several DUCSU returning officers on the other hand said that booths will be set up according to the number of students in the halls.
“It hasn’t yet been finalised how many booths will be set up but it will soon be announced through a media statement,” said DUCSU Chief Returning Officer SM Mahfuzur Rahman.