Tuesday | 14 January 2025 | Reg No- 06
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Tuesday | 14 January 2025 | Epaper

AL takes Rajshahi, Barishal, Sylhet uncertain

Boycott, stray violence, complaints mark city polls

Published : Tuesday, 31 July, 2018 at 12:00 AM  Count : 508
Nazmus Sakib and Mantu Negaban from Barishal, Rafiqul Hasan Firoz from Rajshahi and Sarder Abbas from Sylhet.
Awami League’s mayoral candidate AHM Khairuzzaman Liton speaks to the press after casting vote at the Satellite Town Primary School centre in Rajshahi city. photo : bdnews24.com

Awami League’s mayoral candidate AHM Khairuzzaman Liton speaks to the press after casting vote at the Satellite Town Primary School centre in Rajshahi city. photo : bdnews24.com

The ruling Awami League sealed its victory in Rajshahi and Barishal mayoral elections on Monday. However, the Sylhet City Corporation polls saw a neck-to-neck fight between the ruling party and its archrival BNP.  
The ruling Awami League sees the election results as the reflection of the development campaign of the incumbent government and the unity in the party. However, the archrival BNP terms the three city polls blatant farce in the name of election. They made allegations of ballot stuffing, ousting polling agents of the party, taking control of the polling centres flexing muscle power by the Awami League men which the ruling party brushed aside.

The elections in the three cities took place peacefully except a few stray incidents from 8am to 4pm without any break. In Rajshahi, Awami League mayoral candidate AHM Khairuzzaman Liton secured a landslide victory with 1,65,050 votes defeating his nearest contender BNP's Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul who bagged 77,690 votes.
Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah, the Awami League’s mayoral candidate in Barishal City Corporation election, casts vote at the Barishal College polling centre. photo : bdnews24.com

Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah, the Awami League’s mayoral candidate in Barishal City Corporation election, casts vote at the Barishal College polling centre. photo : bdnews24.com

Earlier, Bulbul staged sit-in at Islamia College polling centre from 1pm to 4pm making allegations of vote rigging and other electoral irregularities, the end of the vote cast. He did not even cast his vote saying there is no value of voting now in the country.
After the result, Bulbul demanded re-election in the city and deployment of army.
However, Awami League's Liton sees the activity of Bulbul as the expression of unhealthy politics. He said he did not see any irregularity at 28 centres out of 138 where he visited.

Liton said people cast their votes with festivity. In Barishal, Awami League mayoral candidate Serniabat Sadik Abdullah with boat won the race. He bagged 95,440 votes while BNP's Mojibur Rahman Sarwar who boycotted the election got 12767 votes with paddy sheaf at 99 polling centres out of 123 centres till filing the report at 10.05pm. The Returning Officer suspended voting at 15 polling centres out of the 123 polling centres. It is impossible for Sarwar to win the race even if he wins all the rest of the centres.

Awami League mayoral candidate Bodor Uddin Ahmed Kamran speaks to the media after casting his vote at Sylhet’s Government Pilot High School. photo : bdnews24.com

Awami League mayoral candidate Bodor Uddin Ahmed Kamran speaks to the media after casting his vote at Sylhet’s Government Pilot High School. photo : bdnews24.com

In the city, Sarwar declared to boycott the election at noon on the allegation of vote rigging by the ruling party men. Besides, Islami Andolan candidate Obaidur Rahman (Hand Fan), Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) candidate Abul Kalam Azad ((Sickle), Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal candidate Dr  Manisha Chakrabarty (Ladder) also boycotted the elections while Jatiya Party candidate Md Iqbal Hossain (Plough) who did not respond to the call of the party Chairman HM Ershad to support Awamil League candidate sought fresh election postponing the polls.

In the city, Basad candidate Dr Manisha was assaulted allegedly by Awami League men at Sadar Girls School Centre in the morning while The Sylhet City Corporation witnessed a neck to neck fight. Awami league mayoral candidate Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran is slight ahead in the race with 70,894 votes while his nearest contender BNP's Ariful Haque Chowdhury bagged 69,683 votes at 105 centres out of the 134 polling centres.  

However, Kamran was defeated by Ariful at his own polling centre. In the Sylhet Govt Pilot High School polling centre where Kamran cast his vote, he with boat got 646 votes while Ariful with paddy sheaf won the centre securing 776 votes. In the centre, Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Ehsanul Mahbub Zubair got 26 votes as an independent candidate as the Election Commission cancelled the party registration in line with the High Court verdict.

Ariful also won two centres where EVMs were used. He, however, demanded re-election in the city.
Earlier, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's son and ICT Advisor Sajeeb Wazed Joy on Sunday said that the Awami League was set to win the Rajshahi and Barishal mayoral race by a landslide and the party would face tough contest in Sylhet. Regarding his confident statement, he showed opinion polls carried out by an independent research organisation after they commissioned it.

In Sylhet, sporadic violence in Kumarpara area left executive magistrate Matiur Rahman injured and he was taken to hospital immediately. The clash took place between two councilor's groups. Besides, three journalists were injured while covering the city election.










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Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
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