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Widespread violence, vote rigging

1 killed, 100 injured in rival attacks: Polling put off in several centres including Madhabdi for massive irregularities

BNP Mayor candidate Mirza Faisal Amin along with his supporters looking at the scene where a ballot box was snatched and stuffed in Tankurgaon polling Centre (top) and ballot box was snatched and ballot papers seen scattered at Gagan Memorial school polli
BNP Mayor candidate Mirza Faisal Amin along with his supporters looking at the scene where a ballot box was snatched and stuffed in Tankurgaon polling Centre (top) and ballot box was snatched and ballot papers seen scattered at Gagan Memorial school polli
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Ehsanul Haque Jasim :The country’s maiden party-basis municipal election in 234 municipalities ended amid widespread violence, clashes, ballot-stuffing, snatching of ballot papers, boycott of at least 34 mayor candidates and death of a person on Wednesday. Violence, capture of polling stations and ballot stuffing by ruling party men have forced the Election Commission to suspend balloting in 25 polling centres of ten municipalities. The Commission also suspended five police officials on charge of their negligence in duty.A man was shot to death in Satkania municipality of Chittagong and over 100 were injured in separate incidents of violence across the country. The man, identified as Nurul Amin of Boaliapara, was shot dead during a clash between supporters of two councillors in Satkania upazila. The Election Commission postponed the polls to Madhabdi municipality of Narsingdi due to widespread violence and vote fraud, while voting was suspended in at least 40 polling centres in different municipalities. At least 34 mayor candidates, including 19 BNP-nominated candidates, boycotted the polls race halfway. Of the dropouts, one is from the ruling Awami League and some from the Jatiya Party.BNP mayoral candidates in seven municipalities — Raipur in Lakshmipur, Pangsha of Rajbari, Rangunia, Sandwip and Raujan of Chittagong, Goforgaon of Mymensingh and Magura municipality-boycotted the elections halfway alleging widespread irregularities, including ballot stuffing, by the ruling Awami League men. The AL rebel mayoral candidate of Dewanganj municipality in Jamalpur also boycotted the election halfway.Earlier, the Awami League-nominated mayor candidates were elected unopposed in seven municipalities — Pirojpur, Madarganj, Tungipara, Feni, Parshuram, Chatkhil and Chenggarchar. So, the polls for mayor posts were held in 226 other municipalities sans Madhobdi. Besides, 94 councillors and 40 women councillors were also elected unopposed in various municipalities.Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Ershad-led Jatiya Party (JP) wrote to the EC alleging that irregularities took place in around 268 polling stations across the country.Barely two hours into the voting, a BNP delegation went to the EC and complained that many polling centres were occupied within two hours of voting. Calling the poll as farcical and staged-managed ones, the party later demanded re-elections to around 1,500 centres in at least 157 municipalities bringing allegations of capturing polling stations, vote rigging and other anomalies. Jatiya Party alleged that AL’s polling agents drove out polling agents of JP from 174 polling centres of 24 municipalities during the voting. On the other hand, Awami League claimed that the election was held in a free and fair atmosphere. The EC is satisfied over the polls saying that the elections in most areas were held peacefully.

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