Staff Reporter :
The voting for the much talked about Gazipur City Corporation (GCC) polls ended on Tuesday amid widespread allegations of fake votes, capturing polling centers and ousting agents of BNP mayoral candidate by activists of the ruling Awami League mayoral candidate.
Allegations said voters were also denied access to poling centers at polling centers where ruling party cadres stuff ballots under police protection or without resistance from police. On duty magistrates and other law enforces were of no help to stop the massive irregularities.
Starting at 8:00am, the voting continued till 4:00pm without any break at 425 polling stations in 57 wards across the city corporation area.
BNP-backed candidate Hasan Uddin Sarker alleged in the afternoon that the ruling party men had captured 400 out of 425 polling centers and sealed for AL candidate on boat symbol. He told UNB as the polling continues, they forced our Agents to leave all polling stations. Now in have no agent at any center.
He claimed many of his polling agents were beaten, tortured and driven out from different polling centers as the voting opens in the morning. Many were also barred from going to the centers.
Hasan Uddin Sarker earlier in the day urged EC to stop the voting blaming massive irregularities including casting of false votes. The EC however advised them to stay in the polls till the end of the day.
Meanwhile, BNP Senior Joint-Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi in a press briefing at the party’s Nayapaltan office in the afternoon alleged that the election was going on the blue print set by the government to bring victory to its candidate. The EC is only following the wishes.
On the other hand, Awami League’s mayoral candidate Jahangir Alam expressed satisfaction over the voting atmosphere saying the vote ended peacefully.
About BNP Candidate Hasan Uddin Sarker’s allegations, Jahangir Alam said “He (Sarker) is used to making false statements. He is saying the election will not be free and fair from day one; but he will not be able to make the voting in Gazipur controversial with such baseless allegations.”
Expressing optimism about winning the election, the AL candidate said, “I am quite hopeful I will win the election by a huge margin.”
Returning Officer Raquib Uddin Mondal at a post-polls briefing at his office in Gazipur yesterday said the voters’ turnout in the Gazipur city polls this time is 55 to 60 per cent.
This means some 55 to 60 per cent out of 11.37 lakh votes had cast their vote as against 63.69 per cent of a total 10,26,939 voters had cast their vote in GCC elections held in 2013.
Voting at nine polling centers out of 425 were suspended as miscreants allegedly snatched ballot papers and law and order situation went out of control during the voting, Raquib Uddin said. But why law enforcer had failed to arrest them remains the big question.
The suspended voting centers include Vogra Govt Primary School, Madinatul Ulum Senior Madrasa, Kunia Hazi Abdul Latif Govt Primary School, Bindan Govt Primary School, Jahan Public Duttapara, Khorotoil Monsur Ali Adarsha School-1, Khorotoil Monsur Ali Adarsha School-2 and Hazi Piar Ali Govt Primary School. Election will be held at a later date in these centers.
But if the voters margins is higher than total votes in all those centers, then the re-running of election will become unnecessary.
Reports of vote rigging and other irregularities by ruling party cadres were widespread from different polling centers across the city.
At Shahid Smriti High School centre at Joydevpur, a number of people entered
the centre and occupied two rooms at 10:30am and carried out stuffing of ballots without intervention by police.
They were supporters of councilor candidate Hannan Mia but as his opponents candidate raised objection, they later left the centre in police protection.
People wearing badges of boat ruled the centre like almost all other centers where there was no agent of BNP candidate. Ruling party agents said they are absent because they have gone to washroom.
At Joydevpur government primary school centre, police was allowing to enter voters one by one keeping them in long queue. A voter Rozina Begum said she stood on the queue early in the morning and till 10:45pm, she was yet to cast vote. By noon, only 600 votes out 3019 votes were cast at the centre. Ghost votes played filled up the absentee voters.
At Mograkhal government primary school centre the agents of Awami League and their supporters continued stuffing ballot boxes from 9:30am to 10:30am threatening BNP candidate’s agent, said party agents Aminul Islam.
The presiding officer Zahirul Islam said there were minor problems in the morning at the centre but votes were peaceful.
A general holiday has been announced for the day in Gazipur city corporation area and all factories and industries in the area were remained closed on the day.
The mayor candidates are: ruling Awami League nominated Md Jahangir Alam, BNP nominated Hasan Uddin Sarker, Islami Oikkya Jote nominated Fazlur Rahman (Minar), Islami Andolan Bangladesh nominated Md Nasir Uddin, Bangladesh Islami Front nominated Md Jalal Uddin, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) nominated Md Ruhul Amin and independent candidate Farid Ahmed.
Besides, some 254 general councilors and 84 female candidates against reserved-seat participated in the elections. However, a councilor was already elected unopposed.
A total of 1,137,736 voters 569,935 males and 567,801 females are expected to exercise their franchise in the election.
Electronic Voting Machines are being used in six centers while closed-circuit television cameras have been installed in two.
A total of 67 executive magistrates and 19 judicial magistrates will also perform duties in the city corporation area from June 24 to 27.
A total of 29 platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh were deployed. The platoons will remain on duty till June 27.
Earlier, the GCC polls were scheduled to be held on May 15, while the High Court stayed it.
Later, the Appellate Division reviewed the High Court order and asked the Election Commission to hold the Gazipur City Corporation Election within June 28.
