Dhaka Correspondent:
After a long 33 years, the Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union (JACSU) elections are going to be held on September 11. Although a festive atmosphere has been created across the campus surrounding the elections, complaints of violation of the code of conduct are increasing every day.
Although Section 7 (c) of the code of conduct prohibits campaigning by outsiders, candidates are campaigning with former students. Not only that, posters and leaflets have been pasted in the university shop, cafeteria, rickshaws, and even on the guard’s table in the residential hall.
Incidents of using large posters that do not comply with the prescribed size, putting one’s own poster on another candidate’s poster, and tearing posters are also widespread. However, the code of conduct clearly states that wall postering, putting posters on electricity poles or trees is completely prohibited.
In addition, there have been complaints of violation of the expenditure limit. According to the code of conduct, candidates for the central student union can spend a maximum of 7 thousand taka and candidates for the hall student union can spend a maximum of 4 thousand taka. But there are allegations that some candidates have printed 10-20 thousand leaflets, the cost of which is up to 15-25 thousand taka. Every day, supporters are spending several thousand taka on food and tea-breakfast.
Meanwhile, VP candidate Sheikh Sadi Hasan announced his election manifesto yesterday, Saturday. Today, on the 10th day of the campaign, he released the manifesto.
On the other hand, the Election Commission has canceled the candidacy of VP candidate Amartya Roy John due to his lack of regular student status. He was a candidate of the ‘Sampritir Oikya’ panel and former president of the Bangladesh Chhatra Union JU Sangsad (part).
On Saturday (September 6), a notification signed by Chief Election Commissioner Professor Moniruzzaman said that Amartya Roy John, a student of the 47th batch of the Department of Archaeology, has been withdrawn from the candidate and voter list as he is considered ineligible to be a voter and candidate according to sections 4 and 8 of the university’s constitution.