BNP-led 18-party-supported mayoral hopeful MA Mannan further widened the lead against his rival as results were coming in from more polling centres after the maiden election to Gazipur City Corporation on Saturday.
Results from 217 polling centres, out of 392, showed Mannan was leading against Awami League-led 14-party-supported candidate Ajmat Ullah Khan by 56,691 votes.
The opposition alliance-blessed candidate bagged 199,342 votes in the centres while the ruling camp-backed contender polled 142,651.
Meanwhile, Mannan told reporters at the Returning Officer’s office that he got the results of almost all the centres from the polling agents, and he won the election by a wide margin of more than one lakh votes.
Earlier, the voting in the maiden election to the city corporation ended at 4 pm as it began at 8 am.
Some 12,000 members of different law enforcement agencies were deployed in the election areas to ensure free and fair balloting.
Sources at the Returning Officer office said voters in some 37 polling centres cast their votes even after 4 pm as the queues there were too long.
Returning Officer Matiar Rahman told journalists that 60-65 percent votes were cast in the election.
In a press conference at the Election Commission secretariat in the capital, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad claimed that the election was held in a free and fair manner, and urged all the candidates to accept the people’s verdict.
“The people of Gazipur have exercised their constitutional rights. I’m requesting the candidates and their supporters to accept the people’s verdict and maintain a healthy atmosphere of traditional political practice,” he said.
However, the main opposition BNP brought the allegations of various irregularities, including intimidation and ousting polling agents, at different places during the balloting in the newly formed city corporation.
The voters, irrespective of their age and gender, were seen standing in long queues.
The Gazipur City Corporation was formed on January 7 while the schedule for the polls declared on May 22 last.
While visiting some polling centres, UNB correspondents found the voters standing in long queues with much enthusiasm to exercise their franchises to elect their mayor and councillors for the next five years.
A scuffle took place between the supporters of Ajmat and Mannan at Government Girl’s College polling centre at 11 am. Later, police brought the situation under control.
A polling agent of Ajmat was sacked when he was persuading voters to cast their votes for Ajmat at the city’s Ashraf Textile Mills centre in Tongi ward-57.
Seven mayoral candidates — 14-party-supported Ajmat Ullah Khan, 18-party-blessed MA Mannan, Mezbah Uddin Sarker, Aman Ullah, Rina Sultana, Jahangir Alam and Nazim Uddin Ahmed – vied for the mayoral post. However, Jahangir stayed off the race and extended support to Ajmat.
A total of 466 candidates contested the polls for the posts of councillor in addition to 126 councillor posts reserved for women.
There are 1,026,964 registered voters — 499,181 men and 527,783 women – in the city corporation.
The EC declared 235 of the centres as vulnerable and took special security measures for those.
Results from 217 polling centres, out of 392, showed Mannan was leading against Awami League-led 14-party-supported candidate Ajmat Ullah Khan by 56,691 votes.
The opposition alliance-blessed candidate bagged 199,342 votes in the centres while the ruling camp-backed contender polled 142,651.
Meanwhile, Mannan told reporters at the Returning Officer’s office that he got the results of almost all the centres from the polling agents, and he won the election by a wide margin of more than one lakh votes.
Earlier, the voting in the maiden election to the city corporation ended at 4 pm as it began at 8 am.
Some 12,000 members of different law enforcement agencies were deployed in the election areas to ensure free and fair balloting.
Sources at the Returning Officer office said voters in some 37 polling centres cast their votes even after 4 pm as the queues there were too long.
Returning Officer Matiar Rahman told journalists that 60-65 percent votes were cast in the election.
In a press conference at the Election Commission secretariat in the capital, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad claimed that the election was held in a free and fair manner, and urged all the candidates to accept the people’s verdict.
“The people of Gazipur have exercised their constitutional rights. I’m requesting the candidates and their supporters to accept the people’s verdict and maintain a healthy atmosphere of traditional political practice,” he said.
However, the main opposition BNP brought the allegations of various irregularities, including intimidation and ousting polling agents, at different places during the balloting in the newly formed city corporation.
The voters, irrespective of their age and gender, were seen standing in long queues.
The Gazipur City Corporation was formed on January 7 while the schedule for the polls declared on May 22 last.
While visiting some polling centres, UNB correspondents found the voters standing in long queues with much enthusiasm to exercise their franchises to elect their mayor and councillors for the next five years.
A scuffle took place between the supporters of Ajmat and Mannan at Government Girl’s College polling centre at 11 am. Later, police brought the situation under control.
A polling agent of Ajmat was sacked when he was persuading voters to cast their votes for Ajmat at the city’s Ashraf Textile Mills centre in Tongi ward-57.
Seven mayoral candidates — 14-party-supported Ajmat Ullah Khan, 18-party-blessed MA Mannan, Mezbah Uddin Sarker, Aman Ullah, Rina Sultana, Jahangir Alam and Nazim Uddin Ahmed – vied for the mayoral post. However, Jahangir stayed off the race and extended support to Ajmat.
A total of 466 candidates contested the polls for the posts of councillor in addition to 126 councillor posts reserved for women.
There are 1,026,964 registered voters — 499,181 men and 527,783 women – in the city corporation.
The EC declared 235 of the centres as vulnerable and took special security measures for those.
– See more at: http://unbconnect.com/gazipur-results-2/#&panel1-1
Source: UNBConnect