Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) President Md Rakibul Islam Rakib on Sunday alleged that the Election Commission (EC) is providing a special advantage to a particular student organisation, raising concerns over the transparency of the electoral process.

He made the comment while speaking in front of the EC building, where Chhatra Dal leaders and activists gathered from the morning as part of a pre-announced programme.

Chhatra Dal activists laid siege to the Election Commission Secretariat in protest over concerns regarding ballot papers and what it described as the unethical influence of a particular political group within the Election Commission.

The Chhatra Dal president accused the commission of forcibly altering election decisions and creating a “special set-up” to favour one particular student organisation.

He claimed that such practices point to a larger plan to manipulate future national elections.

He further alleged that the current Election Commission is acting under the direction of a specific political group. Referring to recent elections at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) and Jagannath University, he claimed that poll schedules were repeatedly changed or postponed in order to favour a student organisation unethically.

“We are observing that a particular political group is meeting election commissioners on a regular basis,” Rakib said. “Despite having no official business at the Secretariat or the Election Commission, they are moving freely and exerting influence.”

The Chhatra Dal president also alleged that elections in educational institutions are being conducted only under a predetermined arrangement. “Without their preferred vice-chancellors, proctors and their own OMR machine set-up, they are afraid to hold elections,” he said, citing the suspension of polls at SUST for five days as evidence of such manipulation.

Rakib claimed that Chhatra Dal has been performing well with the support of general students in hall union elections at Chittagong University, Jagannath University and other institutions.

He alleged that the Election Commission is being used to block this progress and to influence national elections.

There was no immediate response from the Election Commission regarding the allegations.