Boycott, rigging allegations take shine off city elections

The city corporation elections in Rajshahi, Barishal and Sylhet have ended among widespread allegations of vote rigging by the ruling party, scattered disturbances and boycotts.

Voting opened at the 325 polling centres in the three cities around 8am and ended at 4pm. The counting began after the polls closed.

“The election was conducted fairly, despite scattered incidents,” Election Commission Secretary Helaluddin Ahmed told bdnews24.com from Dhaka after polls closed.

Irregularities and disturbances at a polling centre in Barishal and two in Sylhet had caused voting to be halted there, he said. Additional details would be released once complete information about the situation arrives from the cities.

“There is no reason to be either satisfied or dissatisfied with the election environment,” the EC secretary said in response to a question. 
 
“There were no incidents as egregious as the talk going around. Some scattered incidents occurred among the councillors in Barishal. There were some small problems in Sylhet. The Rajshahi election went well.”

BARISHAL

The BNP, Islami Andolon Bangladesh and Socialist Party of Bangladesh mayoral candidates in the Barishal City Corporation elections have walked out on the race citing vote rigging, while two of the four other candidates have called for a halt to the elections.

Returning Officer Md Mujibur Rahman says the allegations will be scrutinised before a decision is taken.

BNP candidate Sarwar called a press conference at the Barishal Press Club, four hours into the start of the polls, to announce his withdrawal. He alleged that the party’s polling agents were barred from 70-80 centres and the Awami League was stuffing boxes with ballots.

Islami Andolon Bangladesh candidate Obaidur Rahman Mahabub announced that he would boycott the polls soon afterwards.

Manisha Chakrabarty, who was chosen by the Socialist Party of Bangladesh, alleged that she had been attacked by supporters of the ruling party when she protested the ‘vote rigging’ at one of the polling centres and later withdrew from the polls.

Five of the seven candidates for the mayoral post complained to election officials of irregularities.

SYLHET

Several polling centres have witnessed clashes among supporters of different councillor candidates for the Sylhet city polls. The clashes left four people, including a magistrate, injured.

Allegations of snatching ballot papers and clashes have forced the Election Commission to postpone the voting in two polling centres. At least three people were wounded after police opened fire to control the clashes.

RAJSHAHI

BNP’s mayoral candidate Md Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul squatted on a field outside a polling centre, claiming that election rigging had occurred at the location.

He vowed to sit in the field until the end of voting at 4pm unless officials gave him a count of the ballots cast and the number of people registered to vote at the centre.

He alleged that the ballot boxes at the centre had been stuffed beforehand, and BNP agents had been kicked out.

Asked why he had not cast his vote, Bulbul said: “In our endangered democracy even my polling agents have been unable to vote. They were turned away. What is the point in voting?”