Polling in four city corporations of Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal and Sylhet and nine municipalities held Monday under emergency passed off almost peacefully with heavy turn out of voters, reports UNB.
This is for the first time voters exercised franchise with their photograph in the voter list, introduced to stop forged voting.
BNP, which was dominating in most of city corporations and municipalities, stayed away from officially supporting its candidates. This gave an edge to Awami League candidates who were backed by the 14-party alliance.
Polling, starting at 8:00am, continued for more than an hour beyond the schedule of 4:00pm, as heavy turnout of voters crowded inside the enclosures at the fag end.
Emergency relaxed during the electioneering was re-imposed Monday when heavy contingents of law-enforcing agencies with and without uniform were deployed in and around the polling centres. Army-led joint forces already camped in the cities were in the rear.
Meanwhile, initial results of Monday's elections showed Awami League candidates swept in the mayoral race in Rajshahi, Khulna and Sylhet city corporations except in Barisal.
Following are the partial election results collected from television channels until 11:20pm Monday: in Rajshahi City Corporation AL candidate Khairuzzaman Liton bagged 36,486 votes, while his nearest BNP candidate Mosaddek Hossain Bulbul 27,457 votes in 51 vote centres out of 129.
In Khulna City Corporation, results of 26 centres out of 239 show Abdul Khaleque Talukder of AL bagged 13,939 votes, while Moniruzzaman Moni of BNP bagged 12,587 votes.
In Sylhet City Corporation, results of 29 centres out of 120 show Badruddin Kamran of AL bagged 25,018 votes, while AFM Kamal of BNP bagged 6,206 votes.
In Barisal City Corporation, results of 27 centres out of 91 show independent candidate Sharfuddin Santu bagged 13,926 votes, while Shawkat Hossain Hiron of AL bagged 13,879 votes.
In the municipalities, results declared unofficially until 11:00pm showed Awami League mayor candidates won in Sitakundu, Golapganj and Shariatpur municipalities, while BNP candidate won in Dupchachia.
Awami League candidates were leading with comfortable margins in Naohata, Chuadanga, Sreepur, Manikganj and Phulbaria municipalities.
Jahangir Alam of BNP was elected mayor of Dhupchachiya in Bogra. Zakaria Ahmed Pablu of Awami League was declared unofficial elected mayor of Golapganj in Sylhet. Abdur Rab Munshi of Awami League was declared unofficially elected in Shariatpur municipality.
Meanwhile, Awami League Acting President Zillur Rahman said Monday's elections to four city corporations and nine municipalities lacked public enthusiasm due to the state of emergency.
"The government is claiming that the elections were held in a free and fair manner. But it was seen that voter turnout was low due to lack of public enthusiasm. The people found less interest as they were handicapped by the state of emergency," he told journalists Monday evening while giving his reaction on the local body elections.
He alleged that the local administration's excesses in enforcing the emergency law had created panic among the people. "This also harmed the expected congenial atmosphere of the elections," he said.
On the other hand, BNP leader Brig Gen Hannan Shah has castigated the government and Election Commissioner as a large number of voters could not cast their votes in Monday's city corporation and pourasava polls due to serious anomalies in the voter list.
He said millions of taka had been spent over the last one year to prepare national identity cards and voter lists with photograph that have proved to be a misnomer. Many voters returned frustrated as they could not cast votes because of anomalies in the voter list.
He declined to comment on the acceptability of the election results. "I do not want to comment on the acceptability of the results just now. Let us know the views of domestic and foreign monitors of the election."
