Another member of the Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (JUCSU) Election Commission has resigned. Dr. Rezwana Karim Snigdha stepped down on Saturday around 2:00 pm, announcing her decision publicly.
Her resignation follows that of Professor Mafruhi Sattar, who quit the commission late Friday night in protest, alleging that the commission continued vote counting without addressing complaints raised during the election.
Voting for the JUCSU election took place on Thursday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm across 21 halls of Jahangirnagar University. On the eve of the vote, left-leaning student groups and Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) candidates alleged that the owner of the company supplying vote-counting machines was affiliated with Jamaat-e-Islami. In response, the election commission and university administration decided to count votes manually instead. On election day, JCD withdrew from the polls at 3:30 pm, followed by four left-leaning panels at 7:00 pm. Despite five of the eight panels—representing 68 candidates—boycotting the election, three panels with 111 candidates remained in the race.
Ballot boxes were transferred from the halls to the Senate Building at around 7:00 pm on Thursday. After preparations, counting began after 10:00 pm. Earlier that day, three teachers, including Professor Nazrul Islam, Professor Shamima Sultana, and Professor Nahrin Islam Khan from the Nationalist Teachers’ Forum, also boycotted the election over irregularity allegations.
Campus tensions heightened Friday morning after the death of teacher Jannatul Ferdous at the Election Commission office, casting a shadow over the polls. Throughout the day, candidates and students accused teachers’ political affiliations and internal groupings of slowing down the counting process. Counting was halted for about three hours on Friday afternoon but resumed later in the evening with hall-level votes, followed by central union votes.
Around 9:00 pm Friday, Professor Mafruhi Sattar, a commission member and president of the Nationalist Teachers’ Forum, resigned citing widespread irregularities. “There was no level playing field,” he told reporters. “I’ve faced pressure since Thursday not to resign, but I have seen many irregularities and serious flaws that questioned the credibility of the election process. My recommendations were ignored, and the commission proceeded with counting without addressing my concerns. Under such circumstances, it was impossible for me to continue.”
Dr. Snigdha’s resignation on Saturday deepens the crisis around the JUCSU election, which has already been marred by allegations of irregularities, boycotts, and internal rifts within the commission itself.
