The BNP-endorsed mayor runners Tabith Mohammed Awal and Mirza Abbas have demanded re-polling citing gross irregularities at voting centres in both Dhaka North and Dhaka South city corporations during the elections.
The two were beaten by their Awami League-backed rivals, Annisul Huq and Sayeed Khokon, by huge margins in the alleged fraud-marred election.
At least 36 councillor aspirants also made similar claims of irregularities, ballot manipulation and demanded a freeze on the gazette on the results and fresh elections.
The EC tried to avoid their complaints by hastily publishing the gazette, they claimed.
But Election Commissioner Md Shah Nawaz on Monday told bdnews24.com: “We’ve gazetted the results in the right time, not earlier.
“We got the results on Apr 29, the gazette was published on Apr 30 following the rules.”
EC’s election management department Deputy Secretary Shamsul Alam said, after assessing the complaints they would possibly recommend the complainants to move the Electoral Tribunal since the results had been gazetted.
“Nothing can be done here now. These can only be documented,” he added.
The BNP-backed mayor candidates in the Dhaka and Chittagong cities had pulled out halfway through the polling.
They alleged large-scale rigging and capture of polling booths by the ruling party supporters.
Many councillor aspirants including Awami League leaders had reported irregularities to the EC after the results were announced.
Reports and photos run by media were attached in support of their pleas submitted to the chief election commissioner.
Commission officials said CEC Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad had asked the election management and coordination section to collect media reports published a day after the polls and complaints from aggrieved candidates.
The unofficial results were declared on Tuesday morning, the day after the polls, and the official gazette was published on Thursday.
The commission is not giving any official reaction to the allegations of irregularities on poll day even though the CEC had said he would talk about the percentage of ballots cast after the voting had ended.
The EC has been flooded with written complaints since the polls. Commission officials said more than 40 complaints had been filed.
Election Commissioner Md Shah Nawaz said, “There have been some irregularities in this large-scale operation involving the three cities. Because of that, three centres were shut down immediately.
“We stalled voting at a number of centres when allegations of irregularities arose and resumed after situations became normal.”
“Overall, the polls were held peacefully,” he said.
Nawaz rubbished allegations of rushed with gazette of results to avert questions.
“The criticism is being done without having any knowledge of the commission’s responsibilities. Those who are criticising are doing it without reading the law.”
The CEC had issued stern warnings against irregularities before the votes. He even said that their officials would not be let off if found involved in irregularities.
Alongside photographs of election officials stamping ballots, accusations of inactivity by EC observers have also been raised.
The commission had deployed 45 observers in the three cities.
However, Nawaz said they are yet to receive reports from any of the observers although six days have passed since the polls.
The Election Commission has formed Electoral Tribunals and Appeal Tribunals for the three city corporations.
The aggrieved contestants can take their grievances to these courts up to 30 days from the gazette of the results.
Eight were elected councillors after a court allowed them to contest even though the commission had initially thrown out their nominations.
Nawaz had earlier said they would be contesting the court ruling.