UP elections
UP poll violence kills 9
Fairer than 1st phase: CEC; Fair poll: AL; A farce: BNP
Nine people including a student of Dhaka University and a 10-year old boy, were killed and at least 70 others injured in clashes across the country during the second phase union parishad (UP) election on Thursday, report our correspondents and agencies.
Those killed in the violence are Sanaullah, Ibrahim and Jamal of Sandwip upazila in Chittagong, Sujon Mrida, a student of Marketing Department of Dhaka University and son of Bachchu Mridha of Birangal village in Madaripur Sadar upazila, Rafiqul Islam, 50, of Shyampur union of Melandah upazila in Jamalpur, Shuva, 10, son of Halim of Dhalikandi village in Keraniganj upazila of Dhaka, Golap Hossain of Chanchra union in Sadar upazila, Jessore, Nunesa Begum, 38, wife of Iman Ali in Doulatdia upazila
in Manikganj, and Biplab,
35, of Raghunathpur
village in Lalpur upazail in Natore.
The polling in the 639 UPs was marked by incidents like police firing, clashes among rival candidates, and blasting
of crude bombs in many centers. However, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmed said that the election was peaceful barring some stray incidents in some polling centers. He claimed that this phase was fairer than the firs phase. Ruling Awami League also termed yesterdays polling as fair but its main political rival BNP alleged that it was a farce in the name of election.
According to unofficial results at 3:00am, Awami League backed candidates won in 415 union parishads, BNP candidates won in 61 while independent, other party and rebel candidates won in 117 UPs.
In Natore, Biplab was injured in a clash between the supporters of Awami League and BNP during voting at a centre of Arbar union. He was taken to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital where he died around 9:45pm.
In Manikganj, Nunesa Begum was killed and four people were injured as the supporters of a member candidate of Baghutia union parishad, equipped with sharp weapons, attacked them for not casting their votes in the election, said officer-in-charge of Doulatdia Police Station Nazmun Nishad.
According to locals Sujan Mridha, a nephew of a member candidate in ward-4 of Dhurail union in sadar upazila of Madaripur district, was killed as police opened fire when clashes erupted between the supporters of Mridha and his rival candidate.
Witnesses said Sumon, a nephew of member candidate Matlab Mridha, died on the spot after police opened fire on him.
Assistant police super (Circle) Moniruzzman Fakir, however, denied the allegation against police.
In Chittagong, three people were killed and seven people injured in a clash at Char Bauria union of Sandwip upazila.
Executive magistrate Md Wahidul Haque said supporters of two member candidates of 5 No ward in the union locked into the clash around 3:30pm over snatching ballot papers from the centre.
The supporters of both candidates opened fire which left two people -- Sanaullah, Ibrahim -- dead on the spot and seven others injured.
The injured were taken to upazila health complex where Jamal succumbed to his injuries.
In Jamalpur, supporters of the two member candidates locked in a clash at Uttar Baluchar Government Primary School polling centre around 11:15 am at Shyampur union in Melandah upazila.
Both the groups fought a pitched battle chasing each other. During the melee, a brick chip was hurled form one side that hit Rafiqul Islam, 50, leaving him dead on the spot, witnesses said.
Another person was also injured in the clash, they said.
However, officer-in-charge of Melandah Police Station Nasimul Islam said Rafiqul died of heart attack while waiting in a long queue for casting vote.
In Keraniganj upazila, a minor boy, identified as Shuva, 10, son of Halim of Dhalikandi village, was killed as he received stray bullets during a gunfight at a polling centre in Madhurchar during the balloting.
Quoting witnesses, officer-in-charge of Keraniganj Model Police Station Ferdous Hossain said a group of BNP supporters and another of Awami League locked into a clash over capturing Madhurchar Govt Primary School polling station around 10:20am. But he could not provide further details of the incident.
In Jessore, a man was gunned down during a clash between the supporters of two chairman candidates at Chanchara union in Sadar upazila.
Officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station Elias Hossain said the supporters of AL-nominated and AL-rebel candidates engaged in a clash at Bhaturia Government Primary School polling centre in Chanchra union around 11:00 am.
Both the groups engaged in a chase and counter-chase and opened fire at each other, leaving Golap Hossain dead on the spot and two others injured.
The injured were admitted to Jessore 250-bed General Hospital.
Meanwhile, 11 chairman candidates boycotted the election in eight union parishads in Sitakunda upazila of Chittagong, Gazipur union of Chandpur, Chowara and Boropara unions under Comilla South upazila, Urfa union parishad in Nakla upazila under Sherpur and Jadabpur union under Jhenidah district on charges of various irregularities. Eight of them belong to BNP, two to AL (rebel), while one is an independent candidate.
Voting at a polling centre in Nayanagar union of Melandah upazila under Jamalpur was suspended as miscreants tried to snatch ballot boxes before the start of the voting in the morning.
Meanwhile, five people were injured as a clash broke during an attempt by the supporters of Jatiya Party and BNP-backed chairman candidates to resist an alleged bid of Awami League-backed candidate to capture a polling centre at Khoshbash union in Barura upazila.
BNP-backed chairman candidate Zakir Hossain and JP-backed chairman candidate Shah Alam were among the injured. Police also recovered five crude bombs from the spot and picked up five people from the scene for quizzing.
Police arrested an assistant presiding officer as he allegedly facilitated fake vote casting in favour of the Awami League-backed chairman candidate at Churamankathi in Jessore Sadar upazila in the morning.
Police also arrested an agent of the AL candidate, Babul Hossain.
During the first phase union parishad polls on March 22, at least 11 people were killed in violence across the country.
Earlier, voting in the election to 639 union parishads of 82 upazilas across 47 of the countrys 64 districts began at 8 am and it will continue till 4 pm without any break.
As many as 31 chairman candidates, all from ruling Awami League, have already been elected unopposed as there was no rival against their respective posts in the 2nd phase of the UP polls.
Of the 31 chairman posts that won uncontested, 14 are in Gopalganj, six in Joypurhat, three in Jessore, two in each Dhaka and Madaripur, one each in Kishoreganj and Munshiganj, Sherpur and Sirajganj.
According to the statistics provided by the Election Commission on Wednesday, a total of 2,662 chairman contenders, including some 1493 from 17 political parties and 1,169 independent candidates are in the election races in the UPs.
Candidates from two major political parties -- ruling Awami League and its archrival BNP are frontrunners in the election. But BNP has no chairman candidate in 79 Ups, while AL has got candidates in all the 639 UPs.
Meanwhile, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad on Thursday said a few incidents of polls anomalies overshadowed their overall achievement in the Union Parishad election.
A few untoward incidents in some UPs have outshined our overall achievement, he said claiming that the 2nd phase UP election was fairer than the first phase one.
The CEC was addressing a post-election briefing at the Election Commission Secretariat at the evening.
He said, We had taken some precautionary measures for the 2nd phase following experience gathered in the first phase ones. This is why the election has been fairer this time.
Mentioning that a child was killed in fighting between two groups in Keraniganj of Dhaka, while a journalist suffered bullet wounds in Bhola, Rakibuddin said he came to know that 4-5 others were killed during the election.
He said the Commission will take action over all the election irregularities.
In the second phase, the balloting in 33 polling stations was postponed on Thursday due to various irregularities.
On the other hand, the Awami League(AL) yesterday claimed that the second phase of the union parishad (UP) elections was held in a free, fair and transparent manner except for some stray incidents.
There was no way to describe the polling as faulty because the Election Commission has suspended voting at only 22 polling stations out of over 6,000, AL joint general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif told reporters at party president Sheikh Hasinas Dhanmondi political office.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) yesterday (Thursday) demanded re-election in 28 union parishads (UPs), out of 30, in Chittagong. The party alleged that polling centres were taken over, ballot boxes snatched and BNP polling agents driven out.
Md Aslam Chowdhury, convener of the North District BNP, came up with this demand at a press briefing at his residence in Sitakunda upazila of Chittagong.
We have said earlier that what is taking place is not an election. It is a joke of the government. In Mirsarai, Sitakunda, Sandwip upazilas, ruling party activists threatened our candidates, leaders and supporters before the elections. Ruling party backed goons, with the help of the police, tore up banners and posters of our candidates, he said.
From early morning, ruling party goons took over all polling centres and snatched ballot boxes. Our agents were driven out from booths. We informed the district administration, but no action was taken. That is why we are demanding re-election which should be free and fair, Aslam Chowdhury added..
In the three upazilas of Mirsarai, Sitakunda and Sandwip in Chittagong, elections were held for 30 UPs --- nine each in Mirsarai and Sitakunda and 12 in Sandwip.
