Online Report : The long-anticipated elections to the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) and hall unions commenced at 8 am today across eight polling centres on the campus.

Students began arriving well before the official start, while election officials sealed ballot boxes in the presence of the media to ensure transparency. For the first time, the polls are using six-page ballot papers compatible with optical mark recognition (OMR) technology.

Earlier in the morning, BNP’s student wing Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) backed VP candidate Abidul Islam Khan visited the Udayan School and College polling station. Shortly after voting started, Islami Chhatra Shibir-backed VP contender Shadik Kayem and Chhatra Dal-supported GS candidate Tanvir Bari Hamim joined fellow students in line to cast their votes at the same centre.

Excitement was particularly high among first-time voters, many of whom described the atmosphere as free from fear or pressure. “It feels like an honour to vote according to my own will. After the fall of fascism, being able to vote in such an environment is truly encouraging,” said student Sumon Islam.

Another student, Alfaz Hossain, echoed the sentiment, saying: “Although I became a voter long ago, I never had the chance to cast my ballot freely for my preferred candidate. This is the first time I exercised my franchise in the DUCSU election.”

University authorities and election officials expressed confidence that the polls would remain free, fair, and peaceful as a festive mood prevailed across the campus.