, April 26 — If the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) election is organized within June of this year, it will be most peaceful and acceptable-this is the opinion of a large majority of students of the University.
The “Advisory Committee,” established by the Dhaka University administration for the smooth organization of the DUCSU and hall union elections, has gathered opinions from students through a survey.
The ICT Cell at Dhaka University initiated the survey on March 23. On April 6, the findings from the survey were presented to the Advisory Committee.
DU students call for DUCSU elections
In the survey, 1,743 university students responded via email by addressing 8 specific queries. Among these respondents, 1,307 students (approximately 75%) expressed support for holding the DUCSU elections within the coming three months.
Out of the remaining participants, 279 students (16%) indicated that if the DUCSU election takes place within the coming six months, it would likely be both peaceful and deemed acceptable.
An additional 95 students have expressed their support for conducting the DUCSU elections within twelve months.
And 62 students think that if the DUCSU election is held after more than one year, it will be peaceful and acceptable.
In the survey, 1,266 students believe that the DUCSU election is highly essential, whereas only 31 students consider it entirely unimportant.
In order to guarantee a calm and unbiased DUCSU election, 903 students (51.8% of participants) believe that implementing stringent security protocols from the management is crucial.
Approximately 309 students (17.5%) have voiced their support for transitioning both the voting and tallying processes to be completely digital.
Regarding the query about where polling stations should be located to ensure a fair and impartial DUCSU election—860 students (49.3% of respondents) believe that voting booths should be placed in certain predetermined academic structures like Curzon Hall, the Social Sciences Building, and the Arts Building.
Some 394 students (22.6%) have given their opinion in favor of setting up polling centers both in halls and academic buildings.
Another 305 students (17.5%) are in favor of setting up polling centers in residential halls.
Up to 725 students (41.6%) support permitting individuals to run for office provided they possess at least one continuous year of active student status from the date their nominations are submitted.
Furthermore, the survey revealed that students believe candidates should meet criteria such as maintaining a minimum cumulative grade point average (CGPA), adhering to an upper-age limit, and ensuring they do not have convictions for particular offenses, including criminal charges.
To create an impartial Election Commission, a significant number of participants (1,033 students) proposed that both students and faculty should collaborate in selecting its members.