City dwellers hardly take interest in polls [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

City dwellers hardly take interest in polls

Local March 01, 2019

Most of the voters refrained from casting vote in the elections in Dhaka north and south city on Thursday as they were seen hardly to take an interest in the polls, boycotted by all opposition parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
Jatiya Party candidate for Dhaka north city mayoral position singer Shafin Ahmed said that voters had lost their interest in the polls considering that their votes had no value.
Many voters said that they refrained from casting vote as they found no meaning in casting vote in the ‘practically’ unilateral polls.
According to the Election Commission, five candidates contested in the Dhaka north city mayoral by-election, 116 contested for 18 councillor positions in as many extended wards of the Dhaka North City Corporation and 125 contested 18 councillor positions in the extended wards of Dhaka South City Corporation.
Besides, 45 candidates in each of the cities contested for six reserved seats for women in each city corporation.
Kala Mia, about 30, of Pallabi said that he along with four members of the family refrained from casting vote as they new none of the candidates.
Besides, bad experience in the December 30, 2018 general election also caused them not to cast their vote, he said.
‘I have talked to some of my neighbours who even don’t know if there is any polling today,’ Kala said while taking bakery items at a tea stall located few yard away from Rashid Adarsha High School polling at Mirpur 12.
He also found no meaning in casting vote boycotted by all opposition parties.
Owner of an electronics shop just in front of the polling station said that he along with his father did not cast vote as they lost interest in polls following the December 30 national elections.
‘Polls became a farce as we witnessed in national elections when none were allowed to enter the polling station and some people were even beaten for coming to the centre,’ he said.
‘Why I will go for casting vote which will be polled automatically,’ said Sabina Begum, a resident of Mohakhali Wireless area under Dhaka North City Corporation ward 20.
Jatiya Party north city mayoral candidate Shafin Ahmed said that the turnout of voters was noticeably low.
‘It seems that the voters have lost their interest in polls,’ he said while visiting polling centre at Manarat Dhaka International School and College at Gulshan.
‘People think that their votes have no value because of massive irregularities in the recent elections,’ Shafin said.
Presiding officers of a number of polling stations said that non-participation of the main opposition was the main reason for the poor voter turnout.
People actually find no meaning of casting their vote as they know who is going to secure the mayoral position, they said.
Mirpur Bangabandhu Bidday Nikaton polling centre presiding officer Md Masum said at 10:00am that only six of the 2,961 voters were cast in six booths.
At 10:30am, Rashid Adarsha High School polling centre presiding officer Hasan Shahriar said that 20 of the 1,813 votes were cast.
After casting his vote at a Uttara school, chief election commissioner KM Nurul Huda said that the commission was not responsible for the low voter turnout in the city polls.
‘Responsibility goes to the candidates and political parties,’ he told reporters.
After the end of the polling, Election Commission secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed at a press conference at its media centre said that they thought that voter turnout was about 50 per cent vote.