Where did my vote go, asks DUCSU candidate alleging ballot rigging in polls

A candidate in the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) election has raised questions over the transparency of the vote count.

On Wednesday, independent central member candidate Md Sajib Hossain alleged at Madhu’s Canteen that in Curzon Hall, votes cast for three major posts, including general secretary candidate Samrat Islam, were shown as zero.

“I cast my vote myself. Where did it go?” he asked, adding that Samrat received zero votes at Shahidullah Hall too, although he had voted for him there.

“If a ballot paper is invalid, it should be declared. This one should not have been invalidated.”

Sajib said he went to the Election Commission office on campus to lodge his complaint but found no one present, nor did he get a response over the phone.

Nineteen candidates contested the general secretary post in this election, where Islami Chhatra Shibir-backed SM Farhad won the position of general secretary. Samrat managed to secure a mere 24 votes.

When asked about the complaint, Chief Returning Officer Jasim Uddin told bdnews24.com: “I will hear his allegation. The university will reopen tomorrow. If he files the complaint, we will definitely look into it.”