Awami League takes phase three of Upazila polls

The Awami League has shrugged off a strong challenge from the BNP to win the third phase of the Upazila Parishad polls and make up some ground lost earlier in the staggered balloting.

Results of 77 of 81 Upazilas were declared until the early hours of Sunday.

Results of four Upazilas - Barisal’s Hizla, Jessore’s Manirampur, Chandpur’s Hajiganj and Mymensingh’s Muktagacha - were not announced as voting in many centres in those areas were countermanded due to violence.

Candidates loyal to the Awami League won the chairman post in 39 Upazilas while the BNP-endorsed aspirants had the last laugh in 28.

The BNP's ally Jamaat-e-Islami's candidates won in seven Upazilas and the other went to an LDP loyalist.

Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samiti (PCJSS) chairman candidates also won at two Upazilas in Rangamati.

Saturday's voting at 81 Upazilas in 41 districts was marred by violence. Two persons died in poll-related violence in Bagerhat and Shariatpur’s Naria.

Voting at 26 centres in 13 Upazilas were also halted due to unrest.

Although the first phase of the polls in mid-February had been somewhat peaceful, the second phase witnessed violent clashes at various places and death of one person.

This time, the tendency to attack polling centres and snatch ballot boxes was more prominent than it was in the last two phases.

The BNP has cried foul as it did on other occasions while the Election Commission and the Awami League have claimed that the balloting was rather peaceful despite some stray incidents.

The ruling party also said its candidates and supporters had faced political and administrational attacks.

Although the local government polls are largely non-political, political parties engage from picking candidates to doing campaign to add strong political undertone to the whole affair.

The BNP, which boycotted the Jan 5 national elections, decided to join the Upazila polls and is leading the first two phases with most number of chairmen.

In the first two phases, BNP-backed candidates won chairman posts in 98 Upazilas while the number was 82 for the Awami League.

Results of the third phases now take those numbers to 121 chairmen for Awami League and 126 for the BNP.

Apart from these, 20 Jamaat-endorsed aspirants, two from the Jatiya party, four from CHT-based PCJSS and three from the UPDF also won in the first two legs.

Including the LDP one in Chittagong’s Chandanaish and Jamaat’s seven, the BNP-led 19-Party alliance is still in the lead with chairmen in 153 Upazila Parishads.

With Saturday’s voting, polls at 294 of 487 local government bodies have taken place so far. Voting in the remainder will take place in the next three phases.

Voting took place from 8am to 4pm at 5,456 polling centres in 81 Upazilas. As many as 131,85,013 voters cast their votes for more than 1,100 candidates running for the posts of chairman and male and female vice-chairman.

The first two phases had seen a 62 percent voting, but the Election Commission is yet to provide figures on the turnout in the third phase.

Despite the BNP’s allegation, Election Commissioner Abdul Mobarak earlier in the day said, “Some untoward incidents did take place because of rival groups and polls were suspended at some places. Balloting ended peacefully as proper timely steps were taken.”

Ballot papers were snatched and burnt at Jessore’s Manirampur, Lakshmipur’s Komolnagar, Shariatpur’s Naria, Chandpur’s Hajiganj and Kachua, Feni’s Dagonbhuiya, Bhola Sadar and Kurigram Sadar.

Candidates of the BNP and Jamaat and Awami League rebels boycotted polls at Bagerhat’s Sharankhola, Chuadanga’s Damurhuda, Netrokona Sadar and Narail’s Lohagorha alleging irregularities and rigging.

The BNP district unit also claimed ruling party supporters rigged the ballots and called a general strike for Sunday in Bagerhat’s four Upazilas - Sharankhola, Rampal, Morelganj and Sadar demanding re-polling.