Dhaka: Claiming that some 43,000 voters will not be able to cast their votes within only six hours, some candidates in the elections to Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (Ducsu) and hall unions on Thursday demanded extending the voting time.

Students will exercise their franchise on March 11 from 8am to 2pm to choose their representatives at Ducsu and hall unions, reports the UNB.

‘It’s not possible for 43,000 voters to cast their votes within six hours. That’s why we’ve urged the authorities to extend the voting hours,’ said ARM Asifur Rahman, an independent general secretary (GS) aspirant at the Ducsu polls, while talking to journalists at the Madhur Canteen.

He also alleged that the university administration is hatching a plot to stage a one-sided election. ‘From the beginning, the university administration is working in favour of a particular student wing without paying any heed to logical demands,’ he said.

Chhatra Federation-backed central general secretary candidate Umme Habiba Benajir echoed Asif, saying each voter has to cast 38 votes in the Ducsu and hall union polls which is not possible in only six hours.

Meanwhile ‘Swadikar Sotontro Parishad’, an independent panel, proposed setting up a total of 357 polling booths at the dormitories so that students can cast their votes within the timeframe.