Prof Abu Daud Hossain, a member of the tender committee and Dean of Arts Faculty resigned protesting "irregularities in the process".

"The university that is facing Tk 20 lakh deficit budget for last several years will suffer a loss of Tk nine lakh for favouring the BNP leader", said a highly placed official at RU.

Seven construction companies dropped schedules within June 10, the last date for bidding.

Among them a firm from Gaibandha was the lowest bidder proposing completion of the Tk 2.78 crore work at Tk 2.24 crore.

The second lowest bid was Tk 2.24 and the third Tk 2.25 crore, sources said.

The company given the work was in the fourth position with Tk 2.33 crore.

It was gathered that an influential BNP leader had dropped the schedule on behalf of the company.

RU authorities have also ordered re-tender of the Tk 20 lakh clectrical work at Zia Hall. In the first tender, the lowest bidder proposed to do the work at Tk 19.94 lakh, sources claimed.

The Tk 20 lakh electrical works at Habibur Rahman Hall was later given to a firm owned by a JCD leader at Tk 21 lakh, said the sources.

The tender committee president and RU Treasurer talking to newsmen denied any "political influence" and said the decisions on awarding works were taken "unanimously by all committee members".

RU Chief Engineer Abdur Rahim denied talking on the ground, but admitted that some of the authorities' decisions "went against each other".