Returning Officer Matiar Rahman said polling ended at 4pm in a festive mood with voters in large numbers lining up before the 392 polling stations through the day.
The results are being announced from a temporary control room from the city’s Bangataj Community Centre.
Over 60% vote cast
A report sent to the Election Commission at around 3pm by Rahman indicated a turnout of about 60 percent. It said the law and order situation was normal.
The report said polling averaged 8-9 percent per hour during the first half, suggesting a 60 percent turnout by the time voting ended in the evening.
Only five hours into the polls, the turnover was nearly 50 percent, officials said.
Over 1.25 million eligible voters cast their ballots in elections to Bangladesh’s youngest and largest city corporation.
Hopeful to win
Both the ruling and opposition coalition-backed candidates are hopeful of winning the Mayoral race.
Ruling alliance-backed Azmat Ullah Khan said he would accept whatever the outcome.
“I’m contesting the polls for the people and I’ll work for their welfare if elected,” Khan said after casting his ballot at Tongi’s Little Sunflower Kindergatern and High School on Saturday.
“I will accept the people’s choice,” he said.
Opposition-backed mayoral aspirant MA Mannan said he would win if the polls were free and fair.
“I believe, I’ll win by a huge margin if the election if free and fair, god willing,” Mannan said, casting his vote at the Salna Senior Fazil Madrasa centre.
He alleged three of his supporters had been beaten up by the police on Friday night.
“I am doubtful about a free and fair election, given the ruling party's activities over the past several days and the kind of influence they have exerted,” he said.
He alleged he had heard the ruling party’s candidates had been given a number of ballot papers on Friday. “They’d stamped them and submitted them to the presiding officer.”
However, Mannan said he would accept any outcome, but added a rider – "if the polls are fair".
Candidates and symbols
Though seven candidates are vying for the Mayor’s office, the main contest is between Awami League-backed Azmat Ullah Khan and BNP-backed Mannan.
Khan, who had been the Tongi municipal Mayor since 1995, is fighting with ‘inkpot-pen’ as his symbol, and Mannan, who won the 1991 national elections from the constituency, has ‘television’ as symbol.
Among other candidates, Aman Ullah has ‘padlock’, Nazim Uddin Ahmed ‘horse’, Md Mejbah Uddin Sarkar Rubel ‘duck’, Rina Sultana ‘butterfly’, and Jahangir Alam ‘pineapple’.
But Jahangir had withdrawn from the contest in favour of Azmat after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's personal intervention.
He hoped the city would elect an honest and deserving candidate as its maiden Mayor.
In all, 456 candidates are in the fray for councillors’ seats in 57 general wards, while 128 women are contesting for the 19 reserved seats.
There are 2,289 polling rooms in 392 centres in the 330-square kilometre city corporation. Of the 10,26,938 voters, 499,161 are women and 527,777 are men.
National flavour at civic polls
BNP alleged rigging and harassment of its supporters by security personnel and ruling party activists.
The Returning Officer dismissed the claims.
BNP’s Acting Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir claimed the government was plotting to change the election results in its favour.
“The Election Commission (EC) will have to take the responsibility if there’s any irregularity in the polls,” he had said.
The BNP spokesperson alleged the voting had been intentionally ‘slowed down’ at several centres as supporters of the opposition-backed candidate had turned out in greater numbers.
Awami League leader Tofail Ahmed rubbished the BNP claims, saying they alleged ‘foul play’ sensing imminent defeat.
EC conducts peaceful polls
The EC maintained polling was peaceful throughout the city corporation and that the voters had cast their votes in a festive mood.
It said the BNP’s allegations were being probed and suitable action would be taken.
Commission Secretary Mohammad Sadiq said the Returning Officer had already started probing the BNP allegations.
He said the Returning Officer had found two allegation to be true. “One of the voter’s ballot paper was found torn while voting. It was cancelled and a fresh ballot was issued,” Sadiq said.
The Secretary said a councillor’s agent was made to leave a centre as he was not a voter from that ward. He said the agent, a voter of Ward 49, had been assigned Ward 51.
‘Vote buying’
Police arrested four men including an activist of the Jamaat-e-Islami while ‘giving out’ money on Saturday morning.
They have been identified as Humayun Kabir, Asaduzzaman, Faruk Hossain and Mohammad Shahin. Kabir has been found to be a Jamaat activist.
They were arrested from two separate areas in Joydebpur, SI Shahdat Hossain said.
He said the police recovered Tk 10,000 from Asad, Faruk and Shahin, while Humayun was arrested with Tk 200,000.
Minor trouble
A minor trouble was reported from a polling centre, but was soon put down.
Witnesses said tension mounted as Azmat and Mannan's supporters marched in support of their candidates near the District Administration office at Bilasmani Government High School in the afternoon.
When Mannan arrived at the spot, there was rumour that a 'mobile court had come', causing panic among the two groups since all campaigns were officially declared closed on Thursday midnight.
The rival sided exchanged heated words before the Rapid Action Battalion and Border Guard Battalion separated them and brought situation under control.
Battle of prestige
With the parliamentary polls due at the end of the year, and the ruling coalition losing four recent city polls in Barisal, Khulna, Rajshahi and Sylhet, the battle for Gazipur has assumed national significance.
The Awami League needs to win at Gazipur to buck the trend. BNP needs to take Gazipur to keep the momentum gained by the four city poll victories.
Enthusiasm amid tight security
Gazipur’s first-ever civic election saw much enthusiasm. Both men and women had turned out to vote in large numbers.
Shahana Sultana, after voting at the Bhogra Government Primary School, said she had been in the queue since 7am.
“It feels great," she said, despite the long wait.
Zakir Hossain has also been in the queue since 7am, but was enthusiastic about exercising his franchise.
Shilpi Akhter, who came to vote at the Salna Islamia Fazil Degree Madrasa poll centre, said, “The election is being held in a peaceful manner. There are no problems.”
Hafizur Rahman, a farmer, and carpenter Mohammad Mubarak Hossain came to vote at a centre housed by local madrasa.
Both were happy with the poll atmosphere.
A long queue was visible in front of the Alekjan Girls High School centre at Naozor area of Gazipur Sadar.
When asked if there was any obstruction on the way to the centre, Raoshon Ara said, “There is no problem anywhere. The voting is fair.”
The BNP wanted army deployment alleging the government was trying to influence the polls – a demand ignored by the Election Commission.
Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad said the peaceful situation in Gazipur did not necessitate army deployment.
Over 11,000 policemen maintained law and order and security at polling centres.
The day was declared a holiday in Gazipur and all ready-made garment units were closed.
On Jan 7, the government approved the formation of the Gazipur City Corporation with Tongi and Gazipur municipality. On Jan 16, Gazipur was formally constituted as the 11th city corporation of Bangladesh.
The Gazipur election is the ninth city corporation elections held under the incumbent government.
