Mamunul Haque calls ‘inconvenience’ in finding voting room a ‘misunderstanding’

"I’ll accept the results of the vote if the people can exercise their right to vote freely. Everyone should accept that,” says Mamunul

Bangladesh Khelafat Majlis chief Mamunul Haque, a candidate of the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party alliance in Dhaka-13, faced some trouble after arriving at a polling centre to cast his vote.

The rickshaw symbol candidate reached the Physical Education College centre in Mohammadpur at 8:00am. One of the officials on duty directed him to a voting room on the second floor.

After going there, another official told him that his vote would have to be cast in a room on the third floor. Upon reaching the third floor, he was again asked to return to a room on the second floor.

After at least eight minutes of moving back and forth between floors, it was confirmed that he had to vote in the room he had initially visited. Mamunul later cast his ballot there.

However, he described the “inconvenience” as a “minor misunderstanding”.

In response to a question from bdnews24.com, he said: “There may have been some confusion due to the number of voting rooms. It’s not a major problem.”

After casting his vote, Mamunul said he was hopeful of victory. He added that if no “untoward” incidents occur, he will accept the election results whatever they may be.

Mamunul said, “I’ll accept the vote results if there is no false crisis created, and the voting process is normal, and if people can exercise their right to vote freely. Everyone should accept that.”

Claiming that he had received reports of “some irregularities” in Dhaka-13 since the night before, he said: “We have not had the opportunity to verify them ourselves. We have informed the administration.”

Meanwhile, DMP Mohammadpur Zone ADC Jewel Rana told reporters, “There is no security-related crisis.”

He urged voters to come to polling centres and cast their ballots without fear.

Although the overall voting environment was peaceful, some voters said the process was taking slightly longer because both the parliamentary election and the referendum ballots were being cast together.

Abdul Majid, a resident of Kaderabad Housing who works at a private medical college, said: “It feels good to cast my own vote. But it is taking a bit more time.”

Asked how long it took, he said, “Approximately 15 minutes.”

Another voter, Abdul Hamid, said it took him five minutes.

Though he lives in Bosila, Abdul Hamid is a voter in Mohammadpur and works as a businessman.

“It took a little time because two ballots were cast together. But there was no problem in voting,” he said.

The crowd of voters was thin at the Physical Education College centre in the morning, though officials expect numbers to increase as the day rolls on.