Awami League-backed nominees unofficially swept elections in all four major city corporations and eight of the nine municipalities that went to polls Monday, reports bdnews24.com.
The AL charge was led by none other than the embattled Badaruddin Ahmed Kamran, the former Sylhet city mayor now in prison on corruption charges, who rode on a wave of sympathy votes to earn a second stint.
He won 115,436 votes in the 120 polling centres with a huge lead over his nearest rival BNP candidate AFM Kamal who finished a distant second with 32,097 votes, according to the latest figure released by the local Election Commission office early Tuesday.
Awami League leader Talukder Abdul Khaleque clinched the mayoral post for Khulna City Corporation.
From 239 centres, Khaleque scored 157,812 votes, recording a victory over BNP-backed Moniruzzaman Moni by a margin of 25,836 votes.
Khulna divisional deputy election commissioner Mohammad Mohsin Ali declared Khaleque the winner in the mayoral race.
Khairuzzaman Liton, backed by the AL-led 14-party alliance, running for mayor of Rajshahi City Corporation, came out victorious with 88,360 votes from 129 centres, edging out his nearest contender Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul, a Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal leader, bagging 74,550 votes.
A nervy Shawkat Hossain Hiron, who cried foul play by intelligence agents at a hurriedly-called press conference early Tuesday after he saw his lead suddenly erode, won the Barisal City Corporation elections.
The Awami League leader polled 46,796 votes, 588 more than his nearest contender S Sharfuddin Ahmed Santu of Progressive Democratic Party who bagged 46,208 votes.
Hiron in the press conference accused intelligence agents of ballot tampering in up to eight centres where he failed to win.
Amid the AL rampage, Jahangir Alam of BNP contesting election in Dupchanchia municipality in Bogra clinched the first municipal mayoral win.
Dupchanchia Upazila Nirbahi Officer Monirul Huda told reporters that Jahangir won 4,893 votes in the nine polling centres, with his nearest contender Nurul Haque gaining 2,684 votes.
Huda, the returning officer, said that 12,443 or 94.17 per cent out of 13,213 voters had cast their votes.
Local AL leaders Reazul Islam Zoarder Toton and Ramzan Ali Zia won the mayoral races in Chuadanga and Manikganj municipalities respectively.
Toton bagged 25,592 votes from Chuadanga's 24 polling centres, beating Abdul Zabbar Sona by 7,097 votes
Returning officer and additional deputy commissioner Md Salahuddin Chowdhury told reporters that Ramzan emerged victorious with 16,208 votes from Manikganj's 23 polling centres. Nasiruddin Ahmed claimed 8,947 votes to finish second.
Two Awami League-backed candidates earlier clinched the mayoral races in Sitakunda and Golapganj municipalities.
Local AL leaders Shafiul Alam and Zakaria Ahmad Paplu won the mayoral seats of Sitakunda in Chittagong and Golapganj in Sylhet respectively.
In Sitakunda, Shafiul Alam won 12,170 votes from 13 polling centres, gaining a landslide win over his nearest contender M Abul Kalam Azad with 4,213 votes.
Sitakunda Upazila Nirbahi Officer Abdur Rouf said that 21,287 people or 84.56 per cent out of 25,171 registered voters had voted.
In Golapganj, Paplu won 5,421 votes from all nine centres, edging out his nearest contender upazila AL joint secretary Sirajul Jabbar Chowdhury who bagged 3,475 votes.
Golapganj Upazila Nirbahi Officer Khalilur Rahman said that 14,132 or 89.96 per cent out 15,710 voters had cast votes.
Six people ran for Dupchanchia mayor, five for Sitakunda and seven for Golapganj.
According to unofficial results, Md Anisur Rahman, backed by the Awami League, won the mayoral race in Sripur Municipality in Gazipur. Md Nurul Islam finished second.
In Fulbaria of Mymensingh, AL leader Golam Kibria won a victory as municipal mayor over his nearest contestant Chan Mahmud, a leader of BNP.
Returning officer Sabirul Islam told reporters that Kibria bagged 3,692 votes followed closely by Chan Mahmud with 3,409.
In Naohata of Rajshahi, AL leader Abdul Gafur clinched 16,606 votes from 14 centres to become the municipal mayor. BNP leader Makbul Hossain bagged 8,795 votes.
In Shariatpur Municipality, AL leader Abdur Rab Munshi won the mayoral race with BNP leader Nasiruddin Kalu trailing behind with 2,150 votes.
