The long-awaited Rajshahi University Central Students' Union (RUCSU) election, along with hall and senate representative polls, concluded peacefully on Thursday without any report of irregularities or untoward incidents - marking the successful return of campus democracy after more than three decades.
Voting took place in a festive and disciplined environment from 9am to 4pm across 17 centres in nine academic buildings.
Students lined up enthusiastically from early morning to cast their ballots, while the university authorities and law enforcement agencies ensured a smooth and secure voting process throughout the day.
According to university sources, a total of 28,909 registered voters were eligible to cast their votes.
Of them, 20,187 students exercised their voting rights, resulting in a 69.83 per cent turnout.
The figure was confirmed by Pro-Vice Chancellor (Education) Prof Farid Uddin Khan on Thursday evening.
As voting ended, all ballot boxes were transported under tight security to the Kazi Nazrul Islam Auditorium, where counting began in the evening.
Among male dormitories, the Sher-e-Bangla Fazlul Haque Hall recorded 73.92 per cent turnout (734 out of 993), while Shah Makhdum Hall saw 77.71 per cent (1,095 out of 1,409).
The Nawab Abdul Latif Hall reported 69.18 per cent turnout, and Syed Amir Ali Hall witnessed 77.78 per cent.
At the Syed Shamsuzzoha Hall, 1,750 out of 2,446 voters exercised their rights - a 76.53 per cent turnout - while the Syed Habibur Rahman Hall recorded 71.55 per cent.
The Motihar Hall and the Motherbox Hall witnessed 73.22 per cent and 71.25 per cent turnout, respectively.
At the Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Hall, 1,407 out of 1,963 registered voters (71.68 per cent) cast ballots, while the Hossain Shaheed Suhrawardy Hall saw an impressive 77.60 per cent turnout.
The Bijoy-24 Hall followed closely with 73.84 per cent.
Among female dormitories, the Mannujan Hall recorded a 67.11 per cent turnout (1,598 out of 2,381), while the Begum Rokeya Hall registered 59.60 per cent.
The Taposi Rabeya Hall saw 63.66 per cent voter presence, the Begum Khaleda Zia Hall 61.49 per cent, the Rahmatunnesa
Hall 60.70 per cent, and the July-36 Hall 66.87 per cent.
As vote counting began at around 6:30pm, large LED screens were set up near the Kazi Nazrul Islam Auditorium and the Shaheed Minar premises to display the process live.
Students and candidates gathered to witness the tally in real time, a rare democratic spectacle on the campus.
Election Commissioner Mostafa Kamal Akand said all ballot boxes were brought to the central auditorium under strict supervision after voting concluded.
For efficiency and transparency, ballots were bundled in groups of 100 before being counted with optical mark recognition (OMR) machines under the observation of an expert panel.
"The counting process is being conducted in three stages," Akand explained.
"Each hall's results will be finalised before the next one begins. Given that there are 283 positions in total, the final results may take 12 to 15 hours to be produced."
Teachers, officials, and election observers praised the peaceful conduct of the polls, describing it as a significant milestone in Rajshahi University's history.
Many noted that the disciplined participation and high turnout reflected the students' growing sense of political maturity and civic responsibility.
The RUCSU elections, held after more than three decades, marked a historic revival of student democracy on the campus, reinstating a tradition that had long been dormant.
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