Election
Khulna city polls: Jatiya Party's mayor candidate says agents barred from entering polling stations
Jatiya Party (Ershad)-backed mayoral candidate Md Shafiqul Islam Madhu has alleged that his agents are being barred from entering polling centres by supporters of Awami League (AL) candidate as Khulna City Corporation (KCC) election is underway.
He made the allegation while talking to the media after casting his vote at the Collegiate School centere, under ward 17 in Sonadanga Residential Area of Khulna city, around 10:30 am.
Also Read: Khulna, Barishal city polls: Voting begins amid much enthusiasm, long queues of voters
Expressing doubts about a fair election, the Jatiya Party-backed candidate said that a fair election under the current government is not possible, UNB's Barishal correspondent reported from the spot.
He said the process to vote was slow at the polling stations, and the environment was not festive.
Asked about his next course of action, Md Shafiqul Islam said, “I will officially inform you (journalists) about my stance after visiting a few more centres."
Voting in the KCC election began at 8 am and will continue till 4 pm without any break. Electronic voting machines are being used at all the centres to take votes.
Also Read: Barishal city polls: Clash between AL, Islami Andolon supporters leaves several injured
Five candidates are vying for the mayoral post, 136 for councillors in 29 general wards, and 30 for reserved seats.
Awami League-backed candidate Talukder Abdul Khaleque cast his vote at Pioneer Secondary Girls School centre on the city’s South Central Road around 9:10 am.
After voting, the mayoral candidate said the election is being held in a free, fair manner.
Also Read: Barishal city polls: Voters being barred from coming to polling stations, say 2 mayoral candidates
“I will accept whatever result coming from the voters,” he said, hoping that people will vote for him for continuation of the development.
Members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) are carrying out their duty to ensure security in the KCC election along with 8,080 members from police, Ansar and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
Chattogram-10 by-polls on July 30
By-polls to Chattogram-10 constituency will be held on July 30.
The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday announced the schedule of the election.
EC secretary Md Zahangir Alam briefed the reporters after the EC meeting at the Election Commission at Agargaon in the capital.
Read: Khulna city polls: EC bans bike movement for 72 hrs, other vehicles for 24 hrs
According to the schedule, the last date for submission of nomination paper is July 4, the scrutiny of nomination papers will be on July 6. Appeal can be filed from July 7 to 9 while disposal of appeal will be on July 10 to 11. The last date for withdrawal of the candidature is set on July 12 while symbol allocation will be on July 13.
Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal chaired the meeting held at the Nirbachan Bhaban in Dhaka.
Read: 1500 EVMs reach Barishal for upcoming city poll
The EC secretary also told reporters that announced that closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras will be used at all polling centres for the by-elections to Chittagong-10 and Dhaka-17 while by-election to Dhaka-17 will be held on July 17 using ballot papers.
The Parliament Secretariat on June 4 (last Sunday) decaled Chattogram-10 constituency (Double Mooring-Halishahar-Khulshi-Katalganj) following the demise of Awami League leader Dr Afsarul Amin.
Khulna city polls: EC bans bike movement for 72 hrs, other vehicles for 24 hrs
The Election Commission has imposed a ban on the movement of motorcycles for 72 hours and other vehicles for 24 hours in the Khulna metropolitan area during the city corporation (KCC) election slated for June 12.
The restriction on the plying of motorcycles is set to come into effect on Saturday midnight, and for other vehicles from Sunday midnight in the election areas.
Read: Will ensure level playing field in KCC polls: CEC
A letter has been sent to the Ministry of Road Transport to take necessary measures in this regard, said a notification of the Election Commission issued on Sunday.
According to the letter, movement of trucks, buses, minibuses, microbuses, vans, cars and easy bikes will be restricted from June 11 midnight to June 12 midnight.
In case of motorcycles, the restriction will be effective from June 10 midnight to June 13 midnight.
Read: KCC Election: 161 polling stations out of 289 vulnerable
However, the vehicles with EC stickers, those belonging to emergency services, including ambulances and fire trucks, will remain out of the ban's purview.
Besides, the Election Commission has formed the Election Tribunal and the Election Appeal Tribunal to settle election-related disputes.
Senior Assistant Judge of Khulna Senior Assistant Judge Court will serve in the Election Tribunal, while Additional District and Sessions Judge, First Court, and Additional District Magistrate of Khulna will perform duties in the Election Appellate Tribunal.
Sylhet city polls: AL, Jatiya Party candidates served show cause notice
Awami League and Jatiya Party mayoral candidates for Sylhet City Corporation election have been issued with show cause notice for violation of the electoral code of conduct.
Returning Officer of Sylhet City Corporation Election Faisal Kadir on Tuesday served the notice to AL candidate Md Anwaruzzaman Chowdhury and Jatiya Party candidate Nazrul Islam Babul.
No candidate or any political party, person, organization or institution can start any election campaign before allocating the symbol. In Sylhet, the election campaign is scheduled to begin on June 2 after the allotment of symbols. But they (AL and JP candidates) are campaigning without regard to the electoral code of conduct, both notice read.
They have been asked to appear before the returning officer’s office within the next three working days and give a written reply as to why action should not be taken against them as per rule 32 of the Code of Conduct.
Returning Officer Faisal Kadir said, "We have received complaints of violation of the election code of conduct by two mayoral candidates. Therefore, they have been issued show-cause notice. Further action will be taken based on their response.”
According to the schedule announced by the Election Commission, voting will be held in Sylhet City on June 21. The scrutiny of nomination papers has already been completed. The last date for withdrawal of candidature is June 1. After the allotment of symbols on June 2, the candidates will be able to formally start campaigning.
1500 EVMs reach Barishal for upcoming city poll
Fifteen-hundred Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) reached Barishal on Monday ahead of next month’s Barishal City Corporation election.
Monirul Islam, assistant returning officer of Barisal City Corporation election, said the EVMs have been kept at Barisal Shilpakala Academy.
He said the voters will vote on the same machines that were used in Gazipur City Corporation election last week.
“The Election Commission has already given special training on EVMs to more than 150 people to ensure a free and fair election,” he said.
Seven candidates will fight for the mayoral post in the upcoming Barishal City Corporation election on June 12.
Besides, 119 candidates will contest for the post of general councilor and 42 candidates for the reserved councilor post.
A total of 276,298 voters will be able to cast their votes in 126 polling stations.
Barisal city polls: 7 mayoral candidates get symbols
Symbols have been allocated among the seven mayoral candidates in Barishal City Corporation election.
Returning Officer Humayun Kabir distributed the symbols at the regional election officer's office at Nathullabad in the city on Friday morning.
The mayoral candidates have started campaigning with their allocated symbols.
Thel candidates and their symbols are: Awami League's Abul Khair Abdullah (boat), Jatiya Party's Iqbal Hossain Taposh (plough), Islami Andolan Bangladesh's Mufti Syed Mohammad Faizul Karim (hand fan), Zaker Party's Mizanur Rahman Bachchu (rose flower), independent candidate Kamrul Ahsan (clock), Asaduzzaman (elephant) and Ali Hossain (deer).
In the case of councillor candidates, symbols were allotted through lottery.
Jahangir's mother Zayeda Khatun wins GCC polls
Zayeda Khatun, an independent mayoral candidate and mother of former mayor Jahangir Alam, has won the Gazipur City Corporation (GCC) elections with 238,934 votes, according to unofficial results.
Her nearest rival, Awami League-backed mayoral candidate Azmat Ullah Khan got 222,737 votes, Md Faridul Islam, returning officer of the election, declared unofficially early Friday.
Faridul Islam announced the unofficial results after counting of votes ended at all 480 polling centres.
Meanwhile, the unofficial results of other contestants of the GCC elections are: Islami Andolon Bangladesh candidate Gazi Ataur Rahman bagged 45,352 votes, independent candidate Sarker Shahnur Islam got 23,265 votes, Gono Front's Atiqul Islam 16,974 votes, Jatiya Party's MM Niazuddin 16,362 votes, Zaker Party's Md Raju Ahmed 7,206 votes and another independent candidate Md Harun or Rashid 2,426 votes.
Read: Gazipur City Corporation election: Voting ends with no reports of violence
Earlier, voting in the Gazipur City Corporation (GCC) election began on Thursday using electronic voting machines (EVMs) in all polling stations in a peaceful manner.
The voting began around 8 am and continued till 4 pm without any break.
Eight candidates contested for mayoral posts in the election and there are 248 councillors and 79 female councilor candidates.
A total of 11,79,476 voters were eligible to vote and of them, 5,92,762 were men and 5,86,696 were women, and the number of transgender people was 18.
Meanwhile, 13,000 law enforcers were deployed to maintain law and order during the election, said Commissioner of Gazipur Metropolitan Police (GMP) Molla Nazrul Islam on Wednesday.
Twenty platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members had also been deployed alongside 30 teams of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and Ansar members, said Returning Officer Faridul Islam.
Voting underway in Gazipur City Corporation election
Voting in Gazipur City Corporation (GCC) Election is underway with good voter turnout in the first few hours on Thursday.
The voting began at 8 am and will continue till 4 pm without any break.
Long queues of voters were seen in all polling stations. Peaceful casting of votes have been reported.
No untoward incident was reported till the filling of this report around 12:30 pm.
Awami League-backed mayoral candidate Azmat Ullah Khan cast his ballot in the GCC election saying he will accept whatever the result comes.
“I always respect the people’s opinion and whoever gets elected today, I will accept the results,” he said while talking to reporters after casting his vote at Tongi Darus Salam Madrasha Centre around 9 am.
Voters were seen going to the polling stations spontaneously and the long queues of voters suggested a participatory election is being held in Gazipur.
“I am a political worker and my party Bangladesh Awami League is a democratic political party and you (people) have seen that when I went out for campaigning, I was always with the people as a political activist,” he said.
Early voting has been peaceful and the law and order situation is also good, said Zayeda Khatun, an independent mayoral candidate in the Gazipur City Corporation (GCC) elections.
She made the remark while talking to reporters after casting her vote at Kanaia Government Primary School polling station around 10 am.
There has been no complaint so far against the use of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), she said adding “I am hopeful about my victory in the election.’
She also urged the voters to cast their votes at the respective polling stations.
Eight candidates are contesting for mayoral posts in the election and there are 248 councillors and 79 female councilor candidates.
A total of 11,79,476 voters are eligible to vote and of them, 5,92,762 are men and 5,86,696 are women, and the number of transgender people is 18.
A total of 13,000 law enforcers have been deployed to maintain law and order during the election, said Commissioner of Gazipur Metropolitan Police (GMP) Molla Nazrul Islam on Wednesday.
Calling 2018 National Election ‘fair’ in the morning, BNP changed its tune in the evening: Sajeeb Wazed
Describing the national election in 2018 as “fair and participatory” – while speaking to the media – in the morning on election day, BNP changed its tune in the evening as results were coming in, Sajeeb Wazed, ICT Adviser to the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, has said.
Posting a compilation of news clips on his verified Facebook page on Friday (May 19, 2023) night, Sajeeb Wazed highlighted remarks made by BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Gono Forum President Dr Kamal Hossain when voting started on election day in 2018, and how they “changed tune” later in the day – blaming the government for “their own failures.”
The video posted by Sajeeb Wazed, who is also the chairman of Center for Research and Information (CRI), shows news clips featuring Dr. Kamal and Mirza Fakhrul, saying on national election day in 2018, that voting was being held “in a fair manner.” BNP leaders expressed satisfaction about the voter turnout as well, but when counting of votes began in the evening, they changed their position and announced boycott of the polls, the video says.
Read more: Sheikh Hasina’s return ushered in a new era for Bangladesh: Joy
In the video, Dr. Kamal is heard saying, “I find it encouraging that so many people have turned up to vote on this cold winter morning. Where I voted, voting seemed fair, but after seeing the results, we will decide whether to accept the results of the election or not.”
BNP and its allies decided to boycott the election after losing by big margins, the video said, adding that since then, the party has failed to provide evidence to support its claim of irregularities in the 2018 national election. BNP-Jamaat and their allies continue to make allegations of “night vote” in discussions and talk shows but they never present proof validating their claim, the video posted by Sajeeb Wazed says.
The video also mentions reports of Jamaat-e-Islami opening fire to capture a voting center in Banshkhali, Chattogram, during the 2018 election. An attempt was made to capture a center in Noakhali too, and BNP men carried out the attack, it says. An Ansar member was killed in Kushtia during the election, the video says.
Read more: BNP more focused on ballot stuffing, capturing state power than on public safety: Joy
The video also says there have been allegations in several media reports that BNP candidates did not get enough support from the center in the 2018 national election.
In his post, with the video, Sajeeb Wazed wrote, “The leaders of BNP and Oikya Front lost the election by a huge margin. In the anti-Awami League media, a group is trying relentlessly to establish the 'night vote' theory. So far, they have not been able to present any specific evidence to support their claim. Representatives of international observer groups termed the election ‘fair.’ BNP itself is the reason for its defeat.”
Sylhet mayor Ariful won’t contest polls
Mayor of Sylhet City Corporation and BNP leader Ariful Haque Chowdhury on Saturday announced that he will not contest the upcoming election scheduled for June 21.
He made the announcement during a public gathering on the Sylhet Registry Ground in the city ending speculation about his candidacy amid the party’s decision to boycott the election.
Also read: 5 city corporation polls: AL to start distributing forms Apr 9
Addressing the crowd, Ariful Haque said, "I embarked on my political journey with the BNP, and I will never make any decision that undermines the integrity of this party."
He said that an appropriate environment for conducting fair elections does not exist.
He highlighted the lack of familiarity among the citizens of Sylhet regarding Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), terming it a fraudulent tool used for vote rigging.
Ariful reiterated that his party, the BNP, would not participate in any election under the current government.
Also read: No challenges so far regarding city corporation polls: IGP in Sylhet
"I have accepted this decision and subsequently boycotted the election," he said.