Voting for the Jahangirnagar University Central Students' Union (Jucsu) and hall unions elections is currently underway, marking the first such polls in 33 years. 

Balloting began at 9am on Thursday (Sept 11) across 224 booths situated in 21 residential halls on campus and is scheduled to continue uninterrupted until 5pm.

The resumption of student union elections has generated a mix of anticipation and cautious optimism among students. While early morning voter turnout remained subdued at most centres, participation gradually picked up as the day progressed.

Several polling stations saw sparse attendance in the initial hours. At the Shahid Rafiq-Jabbar Hall, for instance, only 13 out of 650 registered voters had cast their ballots by 10:30am. 

Mahabubur Rahman Bhuiyan, the returning officer at the centre, attributed the slow start to delays in verifying ballot paper signatures.

A similar trend was observed at Shahid Salam-Barkat Hall, where just 23 of the 299 registered voters had turned out in the first hour. 

However, returning officer SM Maudud Ahmed expressed hope that voter turnout would increase as the day advanced, ensuring a peaceful and celebratory election atmosphere.

A total of 11,897 students are eligible to vote in the current election, with 178 candidates contesting for 25 central positions. The polls are being overseen by 67 faculty members serving as polling officers and an equal number of administrative officials acting as assistant polling officers.

Vote counting will take place at the university's Senate Hall following the close of polling. Results will be announced from the same venue. 

Voters are using a total of 40 ballots across central and hall councils, and the votes will be tallied using specialised Optical Mark Recognition (OMR) machines.

Female representation in the elections remains limited. Women account for only 25 percent of all JAKSU candidates. Notably, no female candidates are contesting the Vice President (VP) position, while two women are among 15 contestants vying for the General Secretary (GS) post. 

Across all hall union races, female candidates make up just 24.4 percent, and in five women’s halls, no candidates have been nominated for 15 different posts.

Eight student panels are participating in the election, comprising alliances from various political affiliations and independent groups. Notable contenders include:

• Sheikh Sadi Hasan and Tanzila Hossain Baishakhi for VP and GS respectively from Chhatra Dal.
• Arifuzzaman Ujjal and Abu Touhid Mohammad Siam representing the leftist alliance Bagachhas under the ‘Shikkharthi Oikya Forum’.
• Arifullah Adib and Mazharul Islam running as VP and GS candidates for Islami Chhatra Shibir under the ‘Samanwita Shikkharthi Jote’.
• Abdur Rashid Jitu and Md Shakil Ali leading the independent ‘Swadhin Shikkharthi Sammilon’ panel.
• The ‘Shompritir Oikya’ panel fields Shoron Ehsan (GS), Nur-e-Tamim Srot (AGS-Male), and Faria Zaman Nikki (AGS-Female); their VP candidate Amartya Roy Jon’s candidacy has been revoked by court order.
• The leftist alliance ‘Songshoptok Parishad’ fields Zahidul Islam Emon (GS) and Sohagi Samia Jannatul Ferdous (AGS-Female).

As the day unfolds, eyes remain on whether turnout will meet expectations and if the election process, long absent from campus life, can serve as a model of democratic engagement for future cohorts.

SMS/