Barishal city polls: Two mayoral candidates pull out of race, three call for a halt
Staff Correspondent, bdnews24.com
Published: 30 Jul 2018 03:17 PM BdST Updated: 30 Jul 2018 03:17 PM BdST
The BNP and Islami Andolon Bangladesh mayoral candidates in the Barishal City Corporation elections have withdrawn from the race citing vote rigging, while three of the five other candidates have called for a stay on the elections.
Returning Officer Md Mujibur Rahman says the allegations will be scrutinised before a decision is taken.
Voting began at 123 polling centres in the city at 8am on Monday. The BNP and other parties raised allegations of irregularities at various centres from the morning.
The BNP’s Md Mazibor Rahman Sarwar, CPB’s Abul Kalam Azad, Socialist Party of Bangladesh’s Manisha Chakrabarty, Islami Andolon Bangladesh’s Obaidur Rahman Mahabub, Sharik Jatiya Party’s Md Iqbal Hossain, the Awami League’s Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah, and independent candidate Bashir Ahmed Jhunu entered the race for the mayoral polls.
BNP candidate Sarwar called a press conference at the Barishal Press Club, four hours into the start of the polls, to announce his withdrawal.
The BNP candidate alleged that the party’s polling agents were barred from 70-80 centres.

“The Awami League government has destroyed the election arrangement. This cannot continue. I am calling on the Election Commission to halt this election, but they did not heed our words.”
“So we condemn the Election Commission. We will withdraw and boycott the election.”
Islami Andolon Bangladesh candidate Obaidur Rahman Mahabub announced that he would boycott the polls.
“There are numerous irregularities, including rigging. It is not possible to vote in this situation. We are announcing a boycott of the vote.”
Manisha Chakrabarty alleged that she had been attacked by supporters of the ruling party when she protested the ‘vote rigging’ at one of the polling centres.
Azad went to the election’s Returning Officer with complaints about the election around 11am, followed by Sarwar, Chakrabarty, Mahabub and Iqbal Hossain at 1pm.

“The Awami League’s people are snatching votes at every polling centre in the city,” said CPB candidate Abul Kalam Azad. “They removed our agents from the centres and did not allow them to cast their ballots.”
“The ballots were marked with votes for the Awami League before 8am,” said Chakrabarty. “They attacked me at the centre of the city, in my area. But the administration is not doing anything. This cannot be considered a fair election in any way, shape or form.”
Awami League mayoral candidate Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah has not commented on the allegations by these candidates. Independent candidate Bashir Ahmed put his support behind the Awami League candidate a few days ago and has become largely inactive.
Returning Officer Md Mujibur Rahman said he will discuss the candidates’ allegations with the relevant presiding officers, scrutinise them and take the ‘appropriate steps’.
-
Quarantine extended for UK arrivals
-
Vaccine roll-out to start on Jan 27
-
Gifting homes to the homeless is the biggest festival: PM
-
Fire kills 4 of a family
-
Zafrullah urges all to take vaccine
-
Govt reports 619 new virus cases, 15 deaths
-
Govt looking for more vaccine sources
-
Hasina thanks Modi for sending vaccine
-
Bangladesh extends quarantine for UK arrivals to seven days from four
-
Four fishermen die, nine missing in Cox’s Bazar trawler capsize
-
Bangladesh's coronavirus death toll surpasses 8,000
-
Bangladesh to begin vaccine roll-out in Dhaka on Jan 27, nationwide campaign starts Feb 8
-
No bigger festival than giving new homes to the homeless, says Hasina
-
Couple, two children die in fire sparked by electric wire in Narayanganj
Most Read
- Bangladesh orders schools, colleges to be ready for in-person lesson restart
- Bangladesh to kick off COVID vaccination campaign by inoculating a nurse
- Can someone please open the door?
- Bangladesh plans to reopen schools in Feb
- A sick couple rushed to marry on UK COVID ward. Now they have a second chance
- Larry King, breezy interviewer of the famous and infamous, dies at 87
- Passion for work will help young leaders to carve their own path: Toufique Khalidi
- Biden apologises after some National Guard troops slept in a parking garage
- Bangladesh's coronavirus death toll surpasses 8,000
- New virus variant may be somewhat deadlier, UK warns