Voting has been free and fair: AL

The ruling Awami League has claimed voting in the second phase of Upazila polls has been ‘free and fair’, refuting main contender BNP’s allegations of rigging.

“According to our information, voting had been peaceful in all the Upazilas,” party’s Advisory Council member HT Imam said at a press briefing on Thursday.

As many as 115 Upazilas had gone to polls to elect chairman, vice chairman and female vice chairperson in the second leg.

The BNP, which boycotted the Jan 5 parliamentary polls but decided to contest the Upazila elections, alleged there had been a ‘festival of occupying polling centres’ across Bangladesh.

As many as 45 candidates loyal to the BNP had won the chairman post in the first phase.

Voting had been halted at the Noakhali Sadar and 34 other centres because of violence. Clashes had left one man dead in Noakhali.

Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad has termed the acts of violence as ‘sporadic’.

“Voting took place amid a festive atmosphere,” he said at the briefing at the party chief’s Dhanmondi office.

Imam hoped the polls would be acceptable to everyone.

Candidates loyal to the BNP had announced a boycott of the polls alleging irregularities in several Upazilas. The party had called for shutdown at several Upazilas.

Imam took a dig at the BNP-backed candidates. He said the areas in which election had been boycotted and shutdowns were called were Awami League dominated.

“They called for the shutdown fearing imminent defeat,” he claimed.

BNP’s local units had called strikes in Cox’s Bazar, Barisal Sadar, Munshiganj Sadar, Noakhali’s Companyganj and Kabirhat, Jessore’s Sharsha, Kushtia’s Mirpur Upazilas alleging irregularities.

Imam claimed the ruling party was not ‘bewildered’ at its loss in the first phase.

“We are treating this (the defeat in first phase) as part of democratic practice,” he said.

“The Awami League’s ‘vote banks’ are still intact,” claimed Imam.