Student wing of Ex-PM Zia’s BNP boycotts major university polls in Bangladesh

Dhaka/New Delhi: The student wing of former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s BNP on Thursday boycotted polls at a major public university alleging rigging, two days after their crushing defeat at premier Dhaka University.

Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), backed by Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), announced their withdrawal from Jahangirnagar University Central Students Union (JUCSU) elections alleging rigging by Jamaat-e-Islami backed Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS).

ICS won a landslide victory in Dhaka University Central Students Union (DUCSU) on Tuesday while JCD rejected the poll results alleging that the election was “manipulated”.

ICS is the student wing of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, the largest Islamist party in the country.

Fears of violence prompted the Bangladesh Army to engage troops alongside paramilitary BGB (Border Guard Bangladesh) on and around the Jahangirnagar University campus on the outskirts of the capital despite its earlier refusal to be evolved for security in student union polls saying regular police should be enough to maintain order.