Voting peaceful in Chittagong, but suspended in two centres at Chandanaish

Polling in two centres at Chandnaish have been suspended to prevent electoral malpractices but was continuing peacefully elsewhere in Chittagong's ten municipalities.

But the BNP mayor candidate at Sitakunda Syed Abul Mansur has alleged that he was attacked at a polling station and his car was smashed by Awami League supporters, with police remaining spectators.

Police have not yet responded to Mansur's allegations.

Apart from the Awami League and the BNP, the LDP candidates are also contesting with party symbols in Chittagong.

This is the first time municipal polls in Bangladesh are being held on party lines.

"After ballot boxes were found stuffed with stamped ballot papers in two polling centres, voting was suspended there on orders from the Election Commission," said Chittagong’s Deputy Commissioner Mesbah Uddin on Wednesday morning.

The two centres where polling was suspended were located at the Aflatun Chowdhury Forkania Madrasa and Gachhbarhia AN High School.

Mesbah Uddin said at least 900 ballot papers had been stamped and stuffed into the boxes.

Chandanaish Returning Officer and UNO Sanjida Sharmin told bdnews24.com: "Polling has been stopped in these two centres."

But she said in other polling centres at Chandanaish, polling was by and large peaceful.

Sitakunda BNP mayor runner Mansur alleged AL candidate Badiul Alam’s supporters attacked him at Panthichhila High School polling station at around 8am.

Mansur said his car was smashed but police did not intervene even after he complained.

Turnout in the voting centres in early hours appeared to be low.

bdnews24.com Correspondent Uttam Sen Gupta found only six voters at 8am in the Raozan Collegiate School polling station.

In two centres in this school, there are thirteen booths with 4,546 voters listed to exercise their franchise.

A presiding officer at one of the centres there, Shamim Hossain, said there were no councillor candidates and voting was taking place only for those contesting for the position of mayor.

But another Presiding Officer Mizanur Rahman said the turnout will pick up as the day progresses.

Reporting from Patia, bdnews24.com Correspondent Mitoon Chowdhury said there were long queue of voters at polling stations.

The Awami League and the BNP’s polling agents for the mayor candidates were also strongly present in these stations.

In the first 30 minutes of polling at a booth in Rahat Ali School in Patia, fifteen voters had exercised their franchise and another twenty were found waiting, Assistant Presiding Officer Zahirul Islam said.

Turnout was also higher at Patia's Allai Okhara Government Primary School polling centre.

BGB and RAB personnel were found deployed at polling centres in Mirsarai and voting was peaceful.

Polling is taking place at Sandwip, Mirsarai, Baroiarhat, Sitakunda, Raozan, Rangunia, Patia, Chandanaish, Banshkhali and Satkania municipalities in Chittagong.

The Awami league candidates are contesting for mayor in all these municipalities with their 'boat 'symbol. The BNP candidates are contesting nine and LDP, an ally of BNP, are contesting one.