Salma Islam announces she is stepping aside from Dhaka-1 race

Dhaka-1 independent candidate Salma Islam, who is battling the Awami League’s Salman F Rahman for the seat, has announced that she is stepping down from the polls and has called for a fresh election.

Her husband, businessman Nurul Islam, made the announcement on behalf of the candidate at a press conference at a home in Nababganj’s Kamarkhola area after 12 pm on Sunday.

“I am stepping aside to save the lives of my agents and voters,” Nurul Islam read from Salma Islam’s statement. “I am demanding a re-vote. I hope the prime minister will organise another election in a peaceful and proper manner.”

Nurul Islam elaborated on the reasons for leaving the polls, saying that Islam had been blocked from campaigning.

He alleged that no posters were allowed to be put up and that Awami League supporters had gone door-to-door with police and arrested their agents and threatened them with being killed in ‘crossfire’ if they stepped out of their homes.

Some homes were also set on fire, he said.

“It was very difficult for us to find agents. Most of them did not come out of fear. Only a few went to the polling centres. As of 10:45 am people went to 150 centres and were barred from them. None of the agents were allowed to remain at 171 centres by 11 am.”

He said: “After considering the safety of the people and the voters, we are standing aside from the election. We want the election suspended and another election to be held for the Dhaka-1 seat.”

“I am a businessman,” Nurul Islam said. “I have always believed in Awami League’s politics. I have always believed in the prime minister’s assurances. We are standing aside out of respect for her. We ask her for a good election.”

“Voting is underway in 300 seats,” he said in response to a question. “But the others are not like the Dhaka-1 seat. It is going well aside from in Nababganj.”

Allegations surfaced on Sunday that some voters who had already cast their ballots at the Shinepukur Govt Primary School centre in Dohar’s Muksudpur Union were not being marked with permanent ink under ‘instructions from Awami League activists.

It has also been alleged that presiding officers and law enforcers are barring reporters from entering some polling centres in the constituency.