Low turnout marks Dhaka city polls, frustrates candidates

The election to the bifurcated Dhaka City Corporation has come to an end at 4pm amid a low turnout of voters and complaints of fingerprint mismatches.

The polls went largely peaceful though.

Many voters, including Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda and Dr Kamal Hossain, faced hassles over fingerprint mismatches at separate voting centres.

BNP-backed mayoral candidate for Dhaka North Tabith Awal has complained that polling agents have been expelled or barred from 43 voting centres out of 54 in his city corporation area. He relayed the complaints to the Election Commission.

Ishraque Hossain, the BNP-endorsed mayoral candidate for Dhaka South, also complained about the expulsion of his polling agents while airing concerns about the use of EVMs.

Election Commissioner Mahbub Talukder too noted the absence of opposition candidates' agents at polling centres.

But candidates and leaders of the ruling Awami League dismissed the allegations and said they were part of a ploy to cast doubt on the elections.

CEC Huda expressed disappointment at the lacklustre turnout but his hopes of an increase in the number of voters  later in the day did not ultimately materialise. 

"Voters will come. It's the responsibility of the candidates to ensure their presence at the voting centres. Our job is to create a proper voting atmosphere. There were no lackings on our part on that front," said Huda.