Rangpur city polls: AL, JP candidates satisfied, BNP concerned

The Awami League and Jatiya Party candidates for mayor in the Rangpur City Corporation polls say they are satisfied with the current situation of the polls. The BNP candidate, however, has expressed his concern about poll rigging.

The 193 polling centres for the election opened at 8am and will remain open until 4pm.

Seven candidates are competing for the mayor’s seat, while 276 are running for councillor. The city corporation has 393,894 voters.

Incumbent Mayor Sharfuddin Ahmed Jhantu is running again as the Awami League candidate. He cast his vote at the Salema Girls’ High School in the city’s 24th ward at 10am.

“Voting has been fair,” he told the media afterwards. “If voting continues in this way we will win. I will accept the decision of the people.”

His competitor, the Jatiya Party’s Mostafizur Rahman Mostafa, cast his ballot at the Alamnagar College Road Government Primary School centre in the 22nd ward around 9:30am.

“I will accept the people’s verdict,” he said. “It has been a peaceful and fair vote. People are not worried.”

“I have made enquiries at polling centres in 33 wards so far. There have been no untoward incidents. We will win by a wide margin.”

BNP candidate Kawsar Zaman Babla cast his vote at 8:45am at the Dewantuli Government Primary School centre in the 29th ward.

“We have expressed our concern regarding the polls from the beginning,” he told the media. “We are still worried. If there is no fraud and the vote is fair, we will accept the decision of the people.”

During an inspection of a voting centre at 11:30am, Babla alleged there had been reports that his agents were being forced out of polling centres.

There have been no incidents in the first four hours of the vote, the election’s Returning Officer Subhash Chandra Sarkar told bdnews24.com.

“Voting has been peaceful at all the centres. We have received no complaints,” he said.