CUCSU Polls: Voter list yet to be finalised

Despite publishing guidelines for the long-awaited Chittagong University Central Students' Union (Cucsu) election on August 1, the process has made little progress, with the voter list yet to be finalised and no schedule announced.

Cucsu Election Commission Chairman Prof Monir Uddin said changes in the committee and the absence of a permanent office had slowed down their work as meetings were being held at different venues.

"We have so far received voter lists from 36 out of 54 departments and institutes. A final decision regarding the voter list and schedule may come in our meeting next Monday (August 25)," he said.

Asked which departments had not yet submitted their lists, he said they did not want to disclose that information for now, as several tasks remained to be completed with the departments concerned.

Member Secretary Prof Ariful Haque Siddique said, "We had asked all departments to submit voter information a week ago. But many submitted IDs without names, while others provided names without IDs, causing delays. We hope to finalise everything by Sunday and discuss the schedule on Monday."

Following the July uprising and political changeover, universities across the country revived discussions on student union elections. While Dhaka, Rajshahi, and Jahangirnagar universities have already announced election dates and are nearing completion of the nomination process, CU remains stuck with an incomplete voter list and no schedule.

Mehedi Hasan, a student of International Relations at CU, said most students failed to realise the importance of Cucsu and the leadership had not been able to convey its significance.

"Using students' apathy as an excuse, the administration is deliberately delaying the election," he told The Daily Star.

Meanwhile, the inclusion of MPhil and PhD students as voters and candidates in the polls, along with the age limit set at 30, sparked criticism.

Student groups alleged that the administration brought MPhil and PhD students under the electoral process even though most organisations opposed their inclusion during earlier discussions.

At a recent press conference, the CU unit of Chhatra Dal claimed the move was intended to benefit a particular political group.

Md Sabuj, joint secretary of Chhatra Adhikar Parishad, said delays were either due to a lack of sincerity or pressure from higher authorities.

CU Chhatra Dal General Secretary Abdullah Al Noman said the administration was not neutral, alleging the guidelines had been tailored to benefit certain groups.

"They are delaying the date to calculate how best to favour them," he said.

CU Shibir President Mohammad Ali, however, announced a rally for next Sunday, rejecting allegations that his organisation influenced the inclusion of MPhil and PhD students.

Revolutionary Student Unity Convener Tahsan Habib said CU students had fought the hardest for the polls, but the administration had failed to deliver, calling it "a clear sign of insincerity".

CU Pro-Vice Chancellor Prof Kamal Uddin said there was no reason for the polls not to be held.

"The commission is working, and the voter list will be ready by Monday. We expect the schedule within a week and aim to complete the election by September," he said.

The last Cucsu polls were held in 1990.