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CHATTOGRAM, Oct 15, 2025 (BSS) – Election Commission Member and Head of the IT Cell Professor Saidur Rahman Chowdhury has said it may take seven to eight hours to complete the vote counting process of Chattogram University Central Students' Union (CUCSU) and hall unions elections.

He told journalists that a team of experts is supervising the entire process, with the counting for each hall being conducted in three stages. 

The compilation and verification of results from all 15 voting centers are expected to take a maximum of seven to eight hours, he said. 

“We have tested about 140,000 pages to ensure that all of them can be read by the machine. One thing I can confirm is that the machine can read the pages accurately. If any external page enters the machine, it will be rejected as it is outside the security code assigned to the system,” he added.

He also mentioned that the authorities tested the machines on a dual-choice basis after scanning the OMRs to ensure proper functionality. “This will help us confirm that our machines are operating correctly,” he said.

When asked about the timeline for announcing the results, Professor Chowdhury explained that if around 80 percent of the votes are cast, it would take approximately seven hours to scan the ballots.

The counting process will be displayed on a large screen to ensure transparency, he added.

The elections to the CUCSU concluded at 4pm in a peaceful atmosphere amid tight security.

Chief Election Commissioner Professor Munir Uddin told reporters that the voting for both the CUCSU and hall union elections was completed without any major untoward incidents.

He said students cast their votes spontaneously, and the overall environment at the polling centers remained calm and orderly.