AL candidate unofficially declared Gazipur mayor

Returning officer Rakib Uddin Mandal announced the unofficial results around 7:00am on Wednesday.

Earlier, the balloting in the GCC elections was held amid the BNP's allegations of irregularities and vote fraud at many polling stations.

However, the ruling party and its mayoral candidate claimed that the balloting was largely fair and the BNP brought the allegations to make the polls controversial.

The polling that began at 8:00am ended at 4:00pm without any break.

The voting was suspended in nine polling centres, including Khartoil Mansur Ali Adarsha School, West Joydebpur Madinatul Ulum Madrasa, Bhogra Government Primary School and Daffodil Kindergarten-2, due to violence and capturing of polling stations and giving fake votes, said Gazipur deputy commissioner Dewan Mohammad Humayun Kabir.

The turnout was said to be around 50 per cent.

Earlier, in the day, the BNP mayoral candidate demanded the election commission (EC) stop voting immediately. He made the demand at a press conference in Gazipur.

"They (AL men) captured over 100 centres since the morning after driving out my polling agents and established full control over all the polling stations by 1:00pm," the BNP mayoral candidate said.

He said the ruling party men stuffed ballots and cast fake votes in absence of his agents.

Sarker cast his vote at Bashiruddin Udayan Academy polling centre in Tongi while ruling party candidate Zahangir cast his vote at Kanaia Government Primary School in the morning.

Talking to UNB, Zahangir said the BNP candidate brought various false allegations to make the election controversial.

He also denied that his supporters drove the BNP candidate's agents out of any polling station. "It's the weakness of the BNP mayoral runner that he couldn't send his agents."

Two councillor candidates -- Hannan Mia Hannu and Zillur Rahman Mukul of wards 26 and 38 respectively -- were injured in separate incidents of scuffle that took place during the polling.Of them, Zillur was taken to a local hospital.

Meanwhile, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi alleged that the ruling party men captured over 100 voting centres and stuffed ballots in the GCC polls.

"As per the information we've received so far, over 100 polling stations have been captured ...a grand festival of fake voting is going on," he said while speaking at a press conference at the party's Naya Paltan central office at noon.

He also alleged that their party mayoral candidate's polling agents were forced out of many centres by the ruling party men with the help of police.

Meanwhile, a two-member BNP delegation, led by party joint secretary general Syed Moazzem Hossain Alal, met Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda at his office to lodge various complaints about the GCC polls.

Talking to journalists after the meeting, Alal said they conveyed the commission their various allegations and observations about the elections.

He said police played a fierce role in favour of the ruling party.

The BNP leader said they are frustrated after meeting the CEC as he could not do anything for ensuring fair balloting. "He (CEC) requested us to stay in polls until the last minute. We're sorry as we couldn't be assured of fair polls by him. We thank him for giving us time."

Trashing BNP's various allegations, Awami League joint general secretary Zahangir Kabir Nanak, at a press conference at the party president's Dhanmondi office, said the BNP could not give its agents at many centres because of its intra-party conflict and the party mayoral candidate's weakness.

He also said BNP was making false allegations to put the election into questions and create controversy.

Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) were used in six centres while closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras installed in two.

Seven mayoral candidates -- AL's Zahangir Alam, BNP's Hasan Uddin Sarker, CPB's Kazi Mohammad Ruhul Amin, Islami Oikya Jote's Fazlur Rahman, Islami Andolan Bangladesh's M Nasir Uddin, Bangladesh Islami Front’s M Jalal Uddin and independent runner Farid Ahmed -- were there in the race.

Besides, some 254 general councillor and 84 reserved-seat female councillor candidates were there in the race. However, a councillor has already been elected unopposed.

The city corporation has a total of 1,137,736 voters -- 569,935 males and 567,801 females.