17 candidates boycott election so far
The boycotting candidates are BNP candidate Shama Obaid contesting in Faridpur-2, Miah Golam Parwar from Jamaat in Khulna-5, Jamaat leader Mohammad Abdul Wadud in Bagerhat-3, Md Abdul Aleem in Bagerhat-4, BNP candidate Amir Ejaj Khan in Khulna-1, Rakibul Islam Bokul in Khulna-3, Azizul Bari Helal in Khulna-4, independent candidate Salma Islam in Dhaka-1 constituency, Jatiya Party candidate Sunil Shuvo Roy in Khulna-1, Abul Kalam Azad from Jamaat in Khulna-6, BNP candidate Md Mazedur Rahman in Gaibandha-1, Jatiya Party candidate Kazi Mashiur Rahman in Gaibandha-4, Abdul Khaleq in Satkhira-2, GM Nazrul Islam in Satkhira-4, Nagorik Oikya leader JM Nurur Rahman in Barisal-4, Anwarul Islam in Dinajpur-6 and Shafiqur Rahman Kiran in Shariatpur-2.
All the candidates were contesting the polls against AL candidates in the respective constituencies.
Miah Golam Parwar announced boycotting the polls saying the returning officers did not take any action even after they complained about the incidents of arresting party men and obstructing polling agents from doing duty.
“There is no point in justifying an illegitimate election by contesting in it,” he added.
Faridpur-2 candidate Shama Obaid claimed that no polling agents were allowed to enter at least 100 polling centres among 123 centres in the area. Her rival candidate was AL’s Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury.
Jamaat leader Abul Kalam Azad in Khulna-6 is in jail on charges of sabotage. His election agent confirmed to the media about the boycott.
JM Nurur Rahman from Barisal-4 alleged that he was obstructed from casting his vote in his own constituency.
There are allegations of vote rigging and obstructing BNP polling agents all over the country.
Independent candidate for Kurigram-4 constituency Imran H Sarker, also Ganajagaran Mancha spokesperson, alleged that the activists of ruling Bangladesh Awami League were casting fake votes in Nayarhat and Astamir Char union Chilmari upazila of Kurigram.
The voter turnout was very thin from the morning until around 12:00pm in the Barishal-5 constituency. No agents of the BNP candidates were seen in most of the centres of the constituency.
There are no polling agents of the BNP candidates in any centre of Patuakhali sadar. The presiding officers of the centres told the Prothom Alo correspondent that BNP did not appoint polling agents in those centres.
Despite satisfactory presence of voters in three constituencies in Munshiganj, there were no polling agents of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in most of the polling centres there.
Visiting at least eight polling centres, the Prothom Alo correspondent found no polling agents in five centres. Also, there were allegations of obstructing an agent from doing his duty in one polling centre.
At least four to five BNP polling agents were allegedly assaulted by ruling Awami League activists in the capital’s Satarkul area on Sunday morning.
Alleged AL activists swooped down on the polling agents as they were trying to set up a booth at Satarkul Deen Mohammad Girls’ Dakhil Madrasa in Dhaka-11 constituency, leaving several of them injured.
Earlier, a group of miscreants attacked a polling centre at Ibtedia Noorani Madrasa in Noakhali-2 constituency Saturday night. Police claimed they were members of BNP and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami.
As many as 200 to 300 people attacked the polling centres leaving several injured including presiding officer, Mahmudul Hassan, said the officer-in-charge of Sonaimuri police station in Noakhali.