Kafi Khan :
Tahseen Bahar Shuchona and Ekramul Haque Titu have been elected as the mayors of Cumilla City Corporation and Mymensingh City Corporation respectively in mayoral elections.
Cumilla Metropolitan Awami League’s Organising Secretary Shuchona, also the daughter of Awami League MP AKM Bahauddin Bahar, contesting with the bus symbol, bagged 48,890 votes to defeat expelled BNP leader and two-time former mayor Monirul Haque Sakku by a huge margin of 21,993, reports bdnews24.com
Returning Officer Md Farhad Hossain announced the results at Cumilla Zilla School after daylong balloting through electronic voting machines on Saturday.
Shuchona, the first woman to win the Cumilla mayor’s poll, arrived at the school in the evening and expressed gratitude “for the overwhelming support she received from the people”.
She pledged to “reciprocate this love by working diligently and wholeheartedly, aiming to fulfil her duties with utmost dedication”. The total number of voters in Cumilla is 242,458.
Expelled Swechchhasebak Dal leader Nizam Uddin Kaiser received 13,155 votes with the horse symbol, and Nur Ur Rahman Mahmud Tanim, an advisor of Cumilla Metropolitan Awami League and former VP of Cumilla Victoria Government College, obtained 5,173 votes.
Tensions flared early in the day as three mayoral hopefuls accused rival candidate Shuchona’s supporters of driving out their polling agents from voting centres.
The situation came to a head outside the Munshi M Ali High School centre, where two individuals were injured by gunfire amid clashes between supporters of opposing candidates.
Kaisar, a former BNP leader who contesting the mayoral election with the horse symbol, identified the injured as his supporters, Zahirul Islam and Md Tuhin.
Shuchona refuted allegations that her supporters attacked their rivals. “To my knowledge, our Chhatra League workers from Ward No. 19 have been shot. I am unsure why the complaint is directed at me,” she said.
Cumilla Metropolitan Awami League General Secretary Arfanul Haque Rifat was elected mayor in 2022 by defeating Sakku by only 343 votes.
The post of mayor was declared vacant after Rifat died in hospital care in Singapore in December 2023.
Meanwhile, The Mymensingh City Corporation witnessed its second election on Saturday, celebrated in a festive and peaceful manner.
Ekramul Haque Titu, the recently resigned mayor, has once again been elected as the city mayor after a landslide victory.
The provisional results were announced late Saturday night at the Tarek Smriti Auditorium.
Ekramul Haque Titu, contesting with the clock symbol, secured 135,959 votes. His closest competitor, Sadekul Haque Khan Milky Toju, bearing the elephant symbol, received 34,395 votes, followed by horse symbol candidate Ehteshamul Alam with 10,643 votes, deer symbol candidate Rezaul Haque with 1,458 votes, and Jatiya Party’s plow symbol candidate Shahidul Islam with 1,276 votes.
Following the result announcement, supporters of Mayor Ekramul Haque Titu have been celebrating with victory processions across various areas. The polling stations saw a high voter turnout since the morning, with a bustling atmosphere outside due to the presence of voters and candidates’ supporters.
Candidates were seen appealing for votes outside each center, where their election camps were also set up. Police and Ansar personnel ensured the smooth performance of their duties, despite slight delays with the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) due to fingerprint recognition issues.
Polling officers noted delays in voting caused by various factors, particularly the EVMs’ difficulty in accurately reading fingerprints, leading to a slower voting process.
Additionally, some voters, especially the elderly, faced challenges using the EVMs. However, the significant turnout of women voters and the absence of any major incidents highlighted the election’s peaceful conduct.
Noteworthy moments of the day included mayoral candidates casting their votes early, with Ikramul Haque Titu voting at Premier Ideal High School, Ehteshamul Alam at Muslim Girls School, Sadekul Haque Khan at Milki Toju Edward School, and Shahidul Islam at Mritunjay Kendra. As the polling concluded at 4 pm, anticipation built outside the centers, with supporters eagerly awaiting the results.
The announcement of the winners triggered celebrations among the victorious candidates and their supporters, marked by emotional embraces.
This election saw five candidates vying for the mayoral position, 149 for the general councilor seats across 33 wards, and 69 for the 11 reserved wards.
With 128 polling stations and 990 booths, the election was managed by 3,253 officials. The city’s total electorate numbered 336,496, comprising 163,832 men and 172,655 women.
In his immediate response to the victory, Ikramul Haque Titu expressed gratitude towards the city’s residents, promising to reciprocate their support through dedicated service. He pledged to swiftly complete pending projects and further beautify Mymensingh for its people.
