Amid ongoing unrest at Rajshahi University, sparked by student protests and teacher strikes, the Rucsu and hall union elections were deferred once again yesterday.
The new date has been fixed for October 16, marking the third revision.
The announcement followed a nearly four-hour-long emergency meeting of the Rucsu Election Commission in the afternoon.
In a press release, the commission said the polls cannot be held in a "festive, participatory, and fair" manner under present circumstances.
With teachers, officers, and employees enforcing a complete shutdown, it said the manpower required to conduct the election could not be ensured.
The announcement has drawn mixed reactions from candidates, with Shibir-backed panel rejecting the deferral and Chhatra Dal and independents welcoming it, while left-leaning panels express concerns over repeated delays.
The elections, initially scheduled for September 15, were pushed back to September 28 and later advanced to September 25.
At a press conference, Shibir-backed panel leaders accused JCD, BNP, BNP-leaning teachers, and the Rucsu Election Commission of conspiring to defer the election.
They warned that if the October 16 date was pushed back again, responsibility would rest with those named.
Later, nearly a thousand Shibir activists brought out a protest rally from the Rucsu treasurer's office around 9:30pm and began parading around the campus.
Abdullah Al Kafi, cultural secretary candidate from the JCD-backed Oikkoboddho Notun Projonmo panel, alleged that the crisis had been staged. "Our campaign was disrupted by an unjustified strike. Now, with the shutdown suddenly withdrawn by Jamaat-backed teachers, it is clear the whole thing was designed to benefit Shibir."
Fuad Ratul, VP candidate from the left-backed Gonotontrik Shikkharthi Parishad, although supporting the deferral, said, "Repeated changes in schedule have eroded students' trust. The administration must now strictly ensure a participatory election on October 16."
Tasin Khan, VP candidate from the Sarbojonin Shikkharthi Sangsad panel, welcomed the deferral but called for a permanent solution to the quota issue. "Otherwise, the same crisis may rise again just before the election."
Salahuddin Ammar, GS candidate from the Adhipottobirodhi Oikya panel, said the commission has acted to protect student participation. "If the election had been held on the 25th, it likely would not have been inclusive. We now hope for a participatory and festive election on October 16."
Earlier in the day, several panels, including Rucsu for Radical Change, Sarbojonin Shikkharthi Sangsad, Socheton Shikkharthi Parishad, United for Rights, and over 50 independent candidates, submitted a memorandum to the Rucsu Election Commission, demanding that the election date be deferred.
Later, at 3:00pm, the Shibir-backed panel submitted a separate memorandum, urging the commission not to postpone or reschedule the polls.
In response to the memoranda, the Rucsu Election Commission convened an emergency meeting at 4:00pm.
The announcement for the deferral came only a day after university authorities had reaffirmed that the election would go ahead on September 25 despite the ongoing strike by teachers, officers, and staff.
The strike by teachers and staff was first called on Saturday to protest an alleged attack on faculty members during a scuffle with students demonstrating against the reinstatement of the quota -- a provision allowing admission privileges for children of university employees.
Later that night, students staged a sit-in in front of the vice chancellor's residence, demanding that the quota be abolished.
Around 2:00am, the VC appeared before students and announced the suspension of admissions under "institutional privileges".