Rajshahi polls: Bulbul squats on field, refuses to vote over rigging allegations

BNP mayoral candidate Md Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul has taken up position in a field outside the Islamia College polling centre in Rajshahi city, claiming that election rigging had led to more votes at a centre than there were registered numbers.

Bulbul said he would continue sitting in the field until the end of voting at 4pm until the election officials give him a count of the ballots.

Bulbul toured various polling centres in the city since the start of voting at 8am. He was to cast his ballot at the city’s Satellite Town High School centre, but did not do so.

Bulbul rushed to the Ward-30 Islami College centre after hearing reports that it was not distributing ballot papers for the mayoral race. The BNP leader inspected the centre before sitting down in the college field.

More votes had been put in the ballot boxes at the centre than the registered numbers in the area, he told the media. Ballots were being ‘brought in’ from other centres after they ran out here, he said.

“I arrived at the centre around 11:15am along with polling agents who were forced out. I was told that there were 325 votes which were all cast.”

The presiding officer said there are 100 ballots left for councillors and that none of the 2,248 ballots for the mayoral race remain, according to Bulbul.

Bulbul demanded a count of the ballots from the election officials.

“I will not leave until I have a count of the number of voters in the area and the number of ballots that have been cast.”

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?”

“I am occupying this area in protest. Until 4pm I will ask the people, the conscientious citizens of our republic, their children and their relatives—in what direction are we heading?”

Presiding Officer Abdullah Al Shafi said: “He came here at 1am and spoke to us. We spoke to him.”

Asked about the polling agents being kicked out, he said:

“If the polling agents leave on their own, if they do not submit their appointment letters, we cannot let them in. They gave a list of seven people, one of their names was not signed properly. The rest were allowed to enter.”

But an individual named Mosharraf Hossain, who has waiting outside to vote, told bdnews24.com: “They are saying there are no more ballot papers. We have been waiting for nearly two hours.”

Asked about the situation, Shafi said: “Voting is underway. There are no problems.”