Hero Alom demands re-election to Dhaka-17

Youtuber Ashraful Hossen Alom, popularly known as Hero Alom, filed a petition to the election commission demanding re-election to Dhaka-17 constituency, reports news agency UNB.

“There was vote rigging in the by-election and I have video footages the rigging,” he said while talking to newspersons after submitting his application to the election commission office at Agargaon.

Governing Awami League nominated candidate Mohammad Ali Arafat won the Dhaka-17 by-election bagging 28,816 votes while Hero Alom got 5,609 votes.

Hero Alom also requested parliament speaker not to administer the oath of Arafat as an MP.

Replying to a question about what will he do if the appeal is rejected at the EC, Hero Alom said, “As I have the evidence of vote rigging and irregularities in by-election, I will go to the High Court and I want to fight till the end.”

In the petition, Hero Alom wrote, “I have contested the Dhaka-17 by-election on 17 July with ‘Ektara’ election symbol. On the election day, I informed the election commission through e-mail that 88 of my agents were driven out of 19 polling stations within one hour of the election. There were vote rigging and irregularities.”

“At 3:00 pm, the cadres of ruling Awami League physically assaulted me when I went to Banani Bidyaniketan polling station to observe the voting situation. People at home and abroad saw the attack through the electronic media. Besides, the election officials started vote counting after driving out my agents from different polling stations, which was contradictory to the electoral code of conduct,” he said.

He also demanded cancellation of the election results, re-election to Dhaka-17 constituency and proper action against his rival candidate’s men for violating the electoral code of conduct.