MPs spar over Chattogram city polls as violence flares up

Members of parliament from the ruling party and the opposition have blamed each other for failure to hold fair elections as a spasm of violence hit the Chattogram city polls.

BNP MP Harunur Rashid raised the issue of the CCC polls, while the law minister and Jatiya Party MPs responded to it.

“The constitution says that elected representatives will run the administration at all levels. But what do we see now? It’s a farce in the name of elections. There’s no need for it. We don’t need a poll at all.”

“The prime minister should nominate anybody using her executive power and that person will get elected,” said Harunur Rashid.

His comments came after 21 people were injured in clashes between the supporters of Awami League and BNP councillor candidates at Lalkhan Bazar and a man was shot dead outside a polling centre in Pahartali.

“I am not saying anything untrue. I’ve got all the information,” Harunur Rashid said when the ruling party MPs protested.

After the opposition salvo, Law Minister Anisul Huq came down hard on Harunur Rashid and said: “Those of us present here weren't born just the other day. We’ve seen the ‘yes-no’ vote during Ziaur Rahman’s rule; we’ve seen the Feb 15 election. No one could find a ballot box to cast a vote in that election.”

“We don’t need to learn about a proper election from these people. We have returned the right to vote to people.”

“It’s the administration that casts the vote, while people just watch. They don’t need to learn about elections from anyone, but just need to ensure that a fair election is held. Everyone knows how to hold a fair election. Just allow people to cast their ballots,” said Rumeen Farhana, a BNP MP from a reserved seat.

In reply to Harunur Rashid, Jatiya Party MP Mujibul Haque Chunnu said that the municipality election was held “fairly” in his constituency.

A rebel candidate of BNP has won the election in Jagannathpur, Sunamganj  and the BNP and even the BNP contestants told BBC that the election was fair, said Pir Fazlur Rahman from the Jatiya Party.

At least 84 percent of ballots were cast in his municipality with the Jatiya Party winning the election, said Shamim Haider of Jatiya Party. “It is possible to hold a fair election if everybody is willing to do it.

“In Chattogram, agents were driven away from many centres, while the media personnel were denied entry passes,” Harunur Rashid alleged.

“There was no way to know where the voting was held during the BNP reign. What kind of election was held on Feb 15?” Law Minister Anisul Huq said.

Voting that began in 735 centres at 8 am with electronic voting machines in Chattogram city will continue until 4 pm, said election officials.

More than 1.9 million voters were expected to cast their ballots to choose the new mayor, 39 ward councillors and 14 women councillors in reserved seats.

Seven contestants are vying for the mayoral post, but the main competitors are Awami League candidate M Rezaul Karim Chowdhury and Shahadat Hossain of BNP.

Shahadat Hossain complained that his agents were ‘driven out’ and ‘beaten’. Hossain also received the complaint of voters being prevented from going to the poll centres, he said.