Dull voting in Rangpur-3 by-election
bdnews24.com :
The lacklustre by-election in the Rangpur-3 parliamentary seat vacated after the death of Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad has ended.
With the absence of the ruling Awami League, polls opened in 175 voting centres at the constituency at 9am on Saturday and continued uninterruptedly until 5 pm.
Nearly 400,500 voters cast the ballot. The results are expected to be out shortly as electronic voting machines or EVMs have been used for the voting, according to Returning Officer GM Shahtab Uddin.
BNP candidate Rieta Rahman, daughter of Mashiur Rahman Jadu Mia, a member of BNP
founder Ziaur Rahman’s cabinet, accused the administration of conducting the election unfairly.
In contrast, Jatiya Party candidate and Ershad’s son Rahgir Al Mahi expressed satisfaction over the vote.
Apart from the Jatiya Party and the BNP, the Khelafat Majilsh, the Gono Front and two independents also contested the elections.
Ershad’s nephew and former MP Hossain Moqbul Shahriar Asif contested independently with motorcar symbol after failing to secure the party ticket. NPP’s Shafiul Alam took part in the election with mango symbol, Khelafat Majish’s Touhidur Rahman Mandal with wall clock symbol and Gono Front’s Kazi Md Shahidullah Bayezid with fish symbol.
Only Asif and Touhidur are voters of the constituency. The others were allowed to visit the polling stations as they were not voters.
The by-election lost much of the heat when the ruling Awami League withdrew its candidate Rezaul Karim Razu from the contest in support of its ally the Jatiya Party, which is the official opposition in parliament.
Ershad won the seat in the Dec 30 elections last year as the candidate of the Awami League-led alliance.
After his death on July 14, the Election Commission announced the schedule for the by-election on Sept 1.
Hours after voting began in the morning, it was found that several polling stations were void of voters. Polling agents passed relaxed time.
Rieta Rahman said, “The administration raided homes of BNP activists last night. The voting equipment were taken away. ” A written complaint had been lodged to the returning officer, she said.
However, Shahtab Uddin said the voting was held peacefully amid festive mood. As many as 3,500 security personnel were deployed for the by-polls to the Jatiya Party stronghold, which consists Rangpur Sadar Upazila, Rangpur Cantonment and 25 of 33 Rangpur City Corporation wards.
The lacklustre by-election in the Rangpur-3 parliamentary seat vacated after the death of Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad has ended.
With the absence of the ruling Awami League, polls opened in 175 voting centres at the constituency at 9am on Saturday and continued uninterruptedly until 5 pm.
Nearly 400,500 voters cast the ballot. The results are expected to be out shortly as electronic voting machines or EVMs have been used for the voting, according to Returning Officer GM Shahtab Uddin.
BNP candidate Rieta Rahman, daughter of Mashiur Rahman Jadu Mia, a member of BNP
founder Ziaur Rahman’s cabinet, accused the administration of conducting the election unfairly.
In contrast, Jatiya Party candidate and Ershad’s son Rahgir Al Mahi expressed satisfaction over the vote.
Apart from the Jatiya Party and the BNP, the Khelafat Majilsh, the Gono Front and two independents also contested the elections.
Ershad’s nephew and former MP Hossain Moqbul Shahriar Asif contested independently with motorcar symbol after failing to secure the party ticket. NPP’s Shafiul Alam took part in the election with mango symbol, Khelafat Majish’s Touhidur Rahman Mandal with wall clock symbol and Gono Front’s Kazi Md Shahidullah Bayezid with fish symbol.
Only Asif and Touhidur are voters of the constituency. The others were allowed to visit the polling stations as they were not voters.
The by-election lost much of the heat when the ruling Awami League withdrew its candidate Rezaul Karim Razu from the contest in support of its ally the Jatiya Party, which is the official opposition in parliament.
Ershad won the seat in the Dec 30 elections last year as the candidate of the Awami League-led alliance.
After his death on July 14, the Election Commission announced the schedule for the by-election on Sept 1.
Hours after voting began in the morning, it was found that several polling stations were void of voters. Polling agents passed relaxed time.
Rieta Rahman said, “The administration raided homes of BNP activists last night. The voting equipment were taken away. ” A written complaint had been lodged to the returning officer, she said.
However, Shahtab Uddin said the voting was held peacefully amid festive mood. As many as 3,500 security personnel were deployed for the by-polls to the Jatiya Party stronghold, which consists Rangpur Sadar Upazila, Rangpur Cantonment and 25 of 33 Rangpur City Corporation wards.
