AL takes Rajshahi, Barishal Sylhet swings

The Awami League sealed victory in Rajshahi and Barishal mayoral elections by a landslide on Monday. However, the BNP leads the Sylhet City Corporation polls facing a neck-and-neck fight from the ruling party. In Rajshahi, Awami League mayoral candidate AHM Khairuzzaman Liton crushed BNP's Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul by a margin of over 87,000 votes. Liton with boat symbol got 1,65,096 votes while his nearest contender BNP's Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul, who demanded fresh election, bagged 77,700 votes. The Returning Officer last night declared Liton mayor-elect.

In Barishal, Awami League mayoral candidate Serniabat Sadik Abdullah with boat also won a landslide victory bagging 1,07,353 votes at 107 polling centres out of the 123 centres. His nearest contender BNP's Mojibur Rahman Sarwar who boycotted the election while voting was going on got 13,135 votes with paddy sheaf.

Total voters under the 15 polling centres where the elections were suspended, and one centre where the announcement of poll result was suspended were 32,930. So, declaring the Awami League candidate is a mere formality now. In Sylhet, BNP mayoral candidate Ariful Haque Chowdhury who earlier rejected the polls is leading the polls by 4,626 votes at 132 polling centres out of 134. Ariful with paddy sheaf bagged 90,496 votes while his nearest contender Awami League's Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran with boat got 85,870 votes.

However, the Returning Officer has not officially declared Ariful mayor as the total voters of the two centres where voting was suspended were 4,787. Meanwhile, Awami League Central Organising Secretary Misbah Uddin Siraj, the chief election agent of Kamran, met the Returning Officer and demanded recounting. The Returning Officer told him that he will see to it.

The ruling Awami League has seen the election results as the reflection of the development campaign of the government and the unity in the party. However, the archrival BNP has termed the three city polls blatant farce in the name of election. The opposition BNP made allegations of ballot stuffing, ousting of their polling agents, taking control of the polling centres flexing political muscles by the Awami League men. The ruling party brushed aside the allegations. The elections in the three cities took place from 8am to 4pm without any break amid boycott, stray violence and complaints.

In Rajshahi, BNP candidate Bulbul staged sit-in at Islamia College polling centre from 1pm to 4pm making allegations of vote rigging and other electoral irregularities. 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 sit-in of Bulbul as the expression of unhealthy politics and said that BNP lost the battle as their mayor did not carry out development during his tenure. He said he did not see any irregularity at 28 centres out of 138 where he visited.

In Barishal, BNP candidate Sarwar declared boycotting 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.

The Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader at a press conference in the capital, however, claimed that the BNP staged drama in Barishal. In the city, Basad candidate Dr Manisha was assaulted allegedly by Awami League men at Sadar Girls School Centre in the morning.

The Sylhet City Corporation elections witnessed a neck-and -neck fight. Currently, BNP's Ariful is leading the mayoral race. Interestingly, Awami League's Kamran was defeated at his own polling centre. In the Sylhet Govt Pilot High School polling centre, where he cast his vote, Kamran got 646 votes while Ariful 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. 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 councilors' groups. Besides, three journalists were injured while covering the city election.