Loss of candidacy on voting day
Staff Reporter :
The Election Commission cancelled the candidacy of ruling Awami League candidate and current lawmaker from Chattogram-16 (Banshkhali) Mostafizur Rahman Chowdhury over “gross violations of the electoral code of conduct”.
For the first time in country’s history, the Election Commission has decided to cancel the candidature during polls day.
Mostafizur Rahman Chowdhury, nominated by the Awami League for the third consecutive time for Chittagong-16, previously won parliamentary elections in 2014 and 2018.
Speaking to reporters, EC Secretary Jahangir Alam said Mustafizur had violated the code of conduct several times before. The commission took the decision yesterday at 3:45pm.
Election Commission Secretary Jahangir Alam informed that the candidate had violated the code of conduct several times before.
Yesterday (Sunday) he threatened the law enforcement agencies. For this reason, the commission has decided to cancel his candidature.
According to the returning officer, if EC cancels the candidacy of a candidate, the election shall be held among the other contesting candidates of the concerned constituency.
The ruling party MP, along with his supporters, had been involved in a heated altercation with journalists during his nomination submission on Nov 30.
The Election Commission later lodged a case, accusing him of breaching the election code of conduct by causing overcrowding the office of the local returning officer.
Four days before the vote, he secured bail in this case after surrendering to court.
Yesterday on polls day, he threatened law enforcement and for this reason his candidature was cancelled, the EC said.
Mustafizur has been charged with electoral crimes under the Representation of the People Order’s (RPO), 1972, said a notice from the EC.
Around 2:30pm on Sunday, the vehicle carrying Mustafizur to the polling station in the upazila came under attack, which left him injured as well.
His personal assistant alleged that supporters of the “Eagle” symbol attacked the MP’s car and hit him on the head.
Earlier on the day, a man named Abdul Ghafoor was arrested over obstructing the polls by casting fake votes at one of the stations around 11:30am, OC Tofail Ahmed said.
Mustafizur allegedly went to the police station and threatened the police saying he would “chop off their hands if they arrested his followers”.
A video later surfaced on social media where the MP was seen threatening the OC at the station.
Commenting on this, his personal assistant claimed that when Mustafizur went to the station to inquire why Ghafoor was being held, there was a slight argument with the police.
Replying to the question what will be the result of Chattogram-16 (Banshkhali), Deputy Commissioner of Chattogram-16 (Banshkhali)and Returning Officer Abul Basar Mohammad Fakhruzzaman said as EC cancelled Mostafizur Rahman’s candidature his ballots will not be counted.
Among the remaining candidates in this constituency, the one who gets the highest number of votes will be the winner, he informed.
Meanwhile, Local Awami League leaders Mujibur Rahman and Abdullah Kabir are competing in Chattogram-16 as independent candidates with eight more candidates from other parties and independents.
