Gaibandha, May 10 (BDNEWS) – The four party alliance candidate Shamim Kaisar was unofficially declared elected in the by-election to Gaibandha-4 constituency Tuesday with a huge margin amidst allegations of massive vote rigging.
Election Commission secretariat sources provided the results of all 102 centres showing that BNP leader Shamim Kaisar bagged 76,243 votes while his nearest rival principal Abul Kalam Azad (Independent) got 50,663 votes.
Besides, Jatiya Party (Ershad) candidate Alhaj Lutfur Rahman Chowdhury polled 36,782 votes.
However, Azad at a press conference immediately after the polling Tuesday alleged to the local media about vote fraud by the alliance candidate.
A high level Jatiya Party team that observed the polling also made accusation of vote rigging. Jatiya Party secretary general Ruhul Amin Howlader, Shah Mohammad Solaiman Ali MP, Noor Mohammad Mandal MP and other leaders raised the charge against Shamim Kaisar.
Nagorik Committee candidate principal Azad raised allegations against the BNP candidate of creating panic at the polling centres and ousting his (Azad's) polling agents forcibly.
He gave detailed picture of some centres where the voters of minority communities faced pressure to cast their ballots for the sheaf of paddy, the electoral symbol of the alliance candidate.
"The BNP candidate violated the electoral rules too," Azad accused saying that the alliance activists pasted electoral posters at the walls of 17 different centres.
"Even some gates with banners atop inscribed with a message to cast vote for the alliance candidate were seen at the Kocha Shahar area," he added.
Six candidates competed the battle in Gaibandha-4 consisting comprising 17 unions and one municipality. As the main opposition Awami League boycotted the by-election and it's the peak season of IRRI harvesting, the voter attendance was quite low. Especially the female voters were very few at the centres.
The on-duty magistrate at the Mahimaganj high school centre arrested Shyamol (17) and Hamidul (20) on charge of casting fake votes.
BDNEWS/0932 hrs
