DHAKA, CHITTAGONG CITY POLLS Violence, rigging, boycott mar polls. [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

DHAKA, CHITTAGONG CITY POLLS Violence, rigging, boycott mar polls.

Local April 29, 2015

City polls in Dhaka South, Dhaka North and Chittagong were held on Tuesday amidst widespread stuffing and intimidation by ruling Awami League men, boycott by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party-backed candidates over allegations of rigging and clashes between rival AL groups at several places.
AL men took control of many polling stations in Dhaka city as the polling began at 8:00am without presence of any polling agents of the BNP-backed mayoral candidates at most centres across the city.

Many returned disappointed from polling stations in the afternoon as
they found their votes cast much before their arrival, voters from different places alleged. Similar was the situation in Chittagong, according to witnesses.
‘I was assaulted and not allowed to cast my vote by ruling party men at 8:10am,’ Abu Jubair Md Miratillah, Ward 19 councillor candidate, told New Age at Siddeshwari Girls High School centre.
He said he was now under threat for talking to the media. Abu Jubair said he had later complained to the presiding officer in writing.
‘I found that someone had cast my vote before I arrived at the booth,’ said Runi Begum, 60, while coming out of a booth at Viqarunnisa School and College centre at around 12:30pm.
Clashes between supporters of rival AL councillor aspirants forced presiding officers at Pogose School, Kabi Nazrul Govt College and Bangla Bazar Govt Girls High School in Old Dhaka to suspend voting for several hours.
Executive magistrates, police and polling officers were apparently silent about violation of electoral laws that included presence of outsiders in the polling stations, vote rigging, intimidation and violence.
Neither Rapid Action Battalion nor Border Guard Bangladesh personnel came up at any centres in the two cities to check the widespread rigging.
BNP-backed Chittagong mayoral candidate M Manjur Alam at 11:15am announced boycott of the elections on allegation of ‘unprecedented’ rigging and capture of polling stations by ruling AL men. Tabith Awal of Dhaka North city and Mirza Abbas of Dhaka South city announced boycott of the vote at 12:30pm on the same ground as the voting concluded at 4:00pm.
The chief election commissioner, Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad, however, thanked all concerned for helping hold a ‘smooth, free, fair and peaceful election.’
‘All exercised their franchise amidst great festivity. No major unwarranted incidents could take place in most of the polling stations due to prompt intervention,’ he remarked.
EC secretary Sirazul Islam told New Age that the army was kept as ‘strike force’ and the returning officers were instructed to call them in any emergency. ‘But nothing happened like that. No one called the returning officers as far as I know for army deployment.’
Sirazul said that there were 16 magistrates to monitor the law and order although none was punished for violation of electoral procedures.
AL activists broke police rifles and vandalized ballot boxes and polling booths when they attacked three polling stations at Uttar Kafrul High school at about 11:00am. The incident left presiding officer Mazharul Islam badly injured.

Left, ballot papers are left abandoned outside Jharnapara Primary School polling centre in Chittagong on Tuesday. Right, supporters of rival candidates clash at Sobhania Alia Madrassah centre in Chittagong over casting fake votes. — Focusbangla photo

Some assistant presiding officers and polling officers at Kalachandpur High School and College and Kalachandpur Government Primary School that housed eight centres were seen stuffing ballots for AL-backed mayoral candidate Annisul Huq at about 2:30pm.
AL men with the help of lawmen did not allow any polling agents of Mirza Abbas at Lutfa Academy at Chamelibagh, voters alleged.
Presiding officer Md Nurul Islam, however, said that he did not get any list of polling agents from Mirza Abbas for the centre.
An executive magistrate expressed his helplessness as his attention was drawn to the facts that outsiders were moving around the polling centres in Malibagh, Shantibagh and Rajarbagh areas.
Journalists were barred by police and AL men from entering polling centres in many places in Dhaka and Chittagong. At least 16 of them were assaulted.
At Kabi Nazrul Govt College centre in Old Dhaka, AL-backed ward councillor candidate Yar Mohammad Yaru’s supporters began stuffing ballot papers and hearing the news rebel AL candidate Hazi Mohammad Selim’s supporters rushed to the place. The Swedish ambassador was trapped for about 45 minutes inside the center during the clashes.
Crude bombs were blasted inside the polling centre at around 12:30pm. BGB arrived there immediately and brought the situation under control.
In Chittagong, several hundred activists of AL-backed mayoral candidate AJM Nasir forced their way into many polling booths, witnesses said.
They assaulted voters at several places.
Mizanur Rahman, presiding officer at a centre in the port city, declined comments and said, ‘Write whatever you have seen.’
BNP-backed candidates earlier expressed doubts whether the polling would be free and fair and demanded troops deployment.
Awami League joint general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif said at a press briefing that BNP had boycotted the elections to make the polls questionable.
There were a total of 1, 982 polling stations in DSC and DNC.
In Dhaka South city 18,70,363 registered voters were entitled to cast their votes and in Dhaka North city 23,49,313 while in Chittagong the number was 18,22,892.
The mayoral race in Dhaka North city drew 16 candidates, 281 aspirants for 36 seats for general councillors and 89 women for 12 seats reserved for them. Dhaka South city mayoral race drew 20 aspirants, 390 aspirants for 57 seats of councillors and 97 women for 19 seats reserved for them.
The mayoral race in the port city of Chittagong drew 12 candidates, 213 aspirants for 41 seats of councillors and 62 women for 14 seats reserved for them.
The last elections to the undivided Dhaka City Corporation were held on April 25, 2002.
On November 29, 2011, the Awami League-led government split the DCC into two – Dhaka South City Corporation and Dhaka North City Corporation without taking any initiatives to hold the mayoral polls which was due in 2007.