JU changes vote counting method for JUSCU election

The vote counting process for the Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (JUSCU) election has been revised. While the initial plan was to use OMR machines for counting votes, the university authorities have now decided to conduct manual counting.

Dr. Saleh Ahmed Khan, a member of the university’s central monitoring committee, announced the decision to the media on Thursday after inspecting several voting centers across the campus. He cited the controversies surrounding machine vote counting in the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) election as a reason behind the change, stating that all votes would now be counted by hand to ensure transparency.

Voting for this year’s JUSCU election commenced simultaneously at 9:00 AM on Thursday across 21 residential halls and will continue until 5:00 PM. A total of 11,897 students are eligible to vote, including 6,115 male students and 5,728 female students.

To facilitate the voting process, 224 booths have been set up across the 21 designated centers. This year, 177 candidates are contesting for 25 central union positions. Eight different panels are participating, including those supported by left-wing groups, Shibir, Chhatra Dal, and independent candidates.

For the smooth conduct of the election, 67 polling officers, who are teachers, and 67 assistant polling officers from the university staff have been appointed. Following the conclusion of voting, the votes will be counted at the university’s Senate Hall.