'Ballot stuffing in Sylhet, BNP polling agents thrown out in Barishal'

BNP mayoral candidate in Sylhet City Corporation election Ariful Haque Chowdhury alleged that ballot boxes were filled with stamped ballots in three wards on Sunday night.

Despite the massive ballot stuffing as Ariful Haque alleged, he expressed his determination to stay in the in the race till the end.

“I came to know that the the voting boxes were filled with stamped ballots with the help of presiding officers in various polling stations in ward number 10, 20, 21 last night (Sunday night),” the BNP candidate claimed on Monday morning.

Our Sylhet office reported that the returning officer, Alimuzzaman, denied the allegations of ballot stuffing put forward by the BNP candidate.

In Barishal, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) candidate Mujibur Rahman Sarwar could not vote as he could not tell the polling officer his serial number as voter.

As he was waiting at Syeda Mujibunnesa High School polling station for someone to bring his voter number, some people carrying the badge of boat symbol of ruling Awami League demanded that Sarwar be pulled out.

The police helped him get out of the scene as the rivals cordoned Sarwar and his party men, Prothom Alo's Shamsur Rahman reported from Barishal.

Sarwar alleged that his polling agents were forced to get out of about 50 voting centres.

After casting his vote in Jherjheripara Raynagar Government Primary School centre, Sylhet, around 8:00am, BNP mayor candidate Ariful Haque said, “The mandate of the people will come in favour of us if the citizens can exercise their voting rights.”

Asked whether he would accept the results of the election, Ariful Haque said, "I will accept the result. But how can we accept it if there is ballot stuffing?”

Denying the allegations, returning officer Alimuzzaman said, “Voting is being held fairly. We received no complaint of ballot stuffing.”