Chittagong Bureau :
Three BNP-nominated candidates have withdrawn from the mayor races in Sandwip, Raozan and Rangunia municipalities of Chittagong, alleging ballot box-stuffing and harassment of their polling agents.
Announcing the boycott within three hours of the beginning of voting on Wednesday morning, they demanded re-election in the municipalities.
All three candidates — Azmat Ullah Bahadur in Sandwip, Abdullah Al Hasan in Raozan and Helal Uddin Khan in Rangunia — were vying for mayor posts with the BNP’s electoral symbol ‘paddy sheaves’.
Abdullah Al Hasan “Ruling party goons have taken over all 15 voting centres in Sandwip and driven out my agents from there,” Bahadur told the media persons. This, he said, made him boycott the election.Similar allegations were raised by Khan and Al Hasan.
“Outsiders took over the polling stations last night and forced my agents to leave. I have no alternative but to withdraw from the election,” Al Hasan told journalists at his residence around 10:30am.
Zafarullah, Shajahan Shikder and Debashish Palit are contesting the polls in the three municipalities with the Awami League’s ‘boat’ symbol.
The candidates cannot boycott the polls on their own, thinks BNP Organising Secretary Golam Akbar Khandakar, also the member secretary of the party’s election monitoring cell for Chittagong.
“It is an election on party lines. There is no scope for individual candidates to withdraw from the polls.
“Despite irregularities, attacks and tortures, we will stay in the race,” he said.
Meanwhile, BNP’s mayor hopeful in Baroiyarhat municipality has demanded suspension of the polls.
Moinuddin Liton raised the demand at a press conference around 11:30am, accusing his rival candidate, backed by the Awami league, of ballot box-stuffing.
Three BNP-nominated candidates have withdrawn from the mayor races in Sandwip, Raozan and Rangunia municipalities of Chittagong, alleging ballot box-stuffing and harassment of their polling agents.
Announcing the boycott within three hours of the beginning of voting on Wednesday morning, they demanded re-election in the municipalities.
All three candidates — Azmat Ullah Bahadur in Sandwip, Abdullah Al Hasan in Raozan and Helal Uddin Khan in Rangunia — were vying for mayor posts with the BNP’s electoral symbol ‘paddy sheaves’.
Abdullah Al Hasan “Ruling party goons have taken over all 15 voting centres in Sandwip and driven out my agents from there,” Bahadur told the media persons. This, he said, made him boycott the election.Similar allegations were raised by Khan and Al Hasan.
“Outsiders took over the polling stations last night and forced my agents to leave. I have no alternative but to withdraw from the election,” Al Hasan told journalists at his residence around 10:30am.
Zafarullah, Shajahan Shikder and Debashish Palit are contesting the polls in the three municipalities with the Awami League’s ‘boat’ symbol.
The candidates cannot boycott the polls on their own, thinks BNP Organising Secretary Golam Akbar Khandakar, also the member secretary of the party’s election monitoring cell for Chittagong.
“It is an election on party lines. There is no scope for individual candidates to withdraw from the polls.
“Despite irregularities, attacks and tortures, we will stay in the race,” he said.
Meanwhile, BNP’s mayor hopeful in Baroiyarhat municipality has demanded suspension of the polls.
Moinuddin Liton raised the demand at a press conference around 11:30am, accusing his rival candidate, backed by the Awami league, of ballot box-stuffing.
