Staff Reporter :
The ruling Awami League (AL) has scored a decisive victory in the maiden partisan municipality elections bagging 177 mayoral posts out of 234 sending its rival BNP for an electoral debacle.
BNP had nominated candidates for 222 municipalities but it secured only 22 mayor posts with its ‘paddy sheaves’ symbol.
Suffering a massive defeat, BNP, however, alleged large-scale rigging and manipulation in the polls accusing the Election Commission for the failure to hold fair polls. In reply to its accusation, the EC says the election was fair and peaceful except for some ‘sporadic’ incidents. The polls were held on Wednesday amid heightened security. More than 12,000 candidates contested for about 3,000 posts for mayors and councillors.
Authorities deployed 100,000 police and paramilitary personnel for the voting. At least one man died and more than 100 were injured on Wednesday but, given the country’s history, the election was relatively peaceful.
The ruling Awami League welcomed the outcome but the BNP accused the government of intimidation, rigging and manipulation, calling the elections “a farce”.
The exact turnout is not yet known but long queues of voters, especially women, were seen across the country. But some media reports said false voting was rampant in some polling centres. Observers said the polls are significant for Bangladesh, which has been ruled by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has since late 2008, when the AL-led alliance came to power.
Hasina returned to power in a January 2014 election, boycotted by the BNP and its allies, who said they would not take part in any election under Hasina government. BNP’s main political partner, the Jamaat-e-Islami, too was out of the race.
“Despite the electoral debacle, returning to the polls process was important for the BNP, which has struggled to form any successful anti-government movement to oust the government,” Najmul Ahsan Kalimullah, Chairman of Jatiya Nirbachan Parjabekkhan Parishad (Janipop), a non-governmental organization, told The New Nation on Thursday.
“The BNP, which boycotted the parliamentary elections and has long resisted elections held under the current government, participated in the latest polls. It was politically significant for the BNP to return to the electoral process,” he added.
The Awami League mayoral candidates had won uncontested earlier in seven municipalities.
So, voting actually took place in 227 municipalities on Wednesday, including Madhabdi where the polls have been put on hold.According to the results declared in the 224 municipalities, 27 winners fought independently, but most of them are rebel Awami League leaders.
The BNP rebel candidates won in two municipalities.
Two leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami, which has lost its registration as a political party, have won in two municipalities.
Besides the Awami League and the BNP, only one from Jatiya Party – Abdur Rahman Mia of Nageshwari Municipality in Kurhigram – has won. A total of 20 registered political parties have fought the election.
