DUCSU election: Chhatra Dal accuses DU administration over alleged irregularities

Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Chatra Dal of Dhaka University has strongly criticised the university administration over alleged irregularities in the 2025 Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) and hall council elections. The student organization claims the administration’s response to complaints is misleading and lacks clarity.

The controversy began after the university’s Public Relations Office released a statement on September 24 addressing complaints related to the elections. Chhatra Dal dismissed the statement as “baseless and vague” and issued a counter-statement on Friday through office secretary Mallik Wasi Uddin Tamir.

In their statement, Chhatra Dal alleged that the administration failed to properly review candidates’ applications and the 11 complaints raised by BNSP-supported candidates before issuing its statement.

“Concerns about voter turnout cannot be resolved without analyzing the complete CCTV footage from election day,” the party said, noting that candidates had requested personal access to the footage under university supervision. The statement also said repeated efforts were made to draw attention to the complaints within the three-day application period stipulated by DUCSU and hall council regulations. A subsequent press conference detailed 11 specific alleged irregularities.

Despite these efforts, the administration described the complaints as “baseless and vague,” a characterization Chhatra Dal calls “highly unclear.”

Ganesh Chandra Roy, President of DU JCD, and General Secretary Nahiduzzaman Shipon urged the university to investigate the alleged irregularities quickly and transparently. “We expect experts to conduct the investigation and present verified findings to eliminate all doubts,” the statement said.

Chhatra Dal also raised concerns over the unavailability of voter lists to polling agents, which prevented verification of actual voter turnout. While legal issues had limited the publication of election-related data, the party said it requested only confidential access to attendance information—a request they claim the administration ignored.

Additionally, the student organization cited media investigations suggesting that ballots were printed at Nilkhet, contrary to administration denials, calling the official statement “misleading.”

The statement also criticized the administration’s announcement that complaints would be addressed “two weeks after submission,” describing it as an attempt to confuse students and avoid accountability.