AL, rebels bag most upazilas amid low turnout

Candidates of the ruling Awami League secured the chairman posts in 83 upazilas in the third phase of the upazila parishad elections while independent candidates including AL rebels were elected chairman at 38 upazilas and a Jatiya Party candidate was elected at one upazila.
According to the unofficial results compiled by the Election Commission officials, of the 83 AL chairmen-elect, 38 were elected unopposed, said EC officials.
Meanwhile, an activist of ruling Awami League was killed at Lakshmipur of Mirpur in Kushtia on Sunday night as leaders of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal threw heavy metal objects on a procession.
The deceased was identified as Ujjwal Hossain, 30, son of Abdul Aziz of village Lakshmipur, reports New Age correspondent at Islamic University.
Of the 122 upazilas, no polling took place at six upazials on Sunday’s elections as all the candidates of the upazilas were elected unopposed, they said.
The EC officials said on Monday that the voter turnout in the polls was 41.41 per cent while it was 41.12 per cent in second phase and 43.32 per cent in the first phase.
On Sunday, the third phase of upazila parishad elections in 117 upazilas were held amid violence, vote rigging, irregularities and violation of electoral code of conducts.
Facing irregularities, the Election Commission suspended voting at all centres of Katiadi upazila in Kishoreganj. Polling at 14 stations in rest 116 upazilas was also suspended.
New Age correspondent reports quoting witnesses that Awami League supporters brought out a procession at about 8:00pm in Paharpur-Lakshmipur School polling center as their candidate bagged large number of votes in the upazila parishad elections.
Chithalia union unit JSD general secretary Habibur Rahman along with his supporters, at one stage, threw heavy metal objects at the procession which hit Ujjwal leaving him injured when they were chanting slogans in front Mirpur JSD president Habib’s residence.
Later, Ujjwal was taken Mirpur Upazila Health Complex where on duty doctors declared him dead.
Police were looking into the matter, Mirpur police station officer-in-charge Abul Kalam said.
Ujjwal might have been died from brain stroke but the AL leader spreading rumor against JSD, Mirpur upazila unit JSD general secretary Khorshed Alam claimed.
Mirpur upazila AL general secretary also the newly elected chairman Kamrul Arefin said that they would take actions after getting post-mortem reports.
The correspondent also reported that a group of Awami League supporters allegedly vandalised seven houses of Hindu community in another incident of post poll violence in Tikari village of Jhenaidah on Sunday night.
Quoting local people, Jhenaidah police station officer-in-charge Mizanur Rahman Khan told New Age that the supporters of AL chairman-elect for the upazila Abdur Rashid vandalised the houses of independent candidate JM Rashid’s supporters.
On information, police rushed to the spot and tried to keep the situation under control.
Additional police personnel were deployed in the area to avert any kind of unwanted situation, he said.
Police were trying to arrest the criminals, the OC added.
Abdur Rashid could not be contacted for comment despite efforts.
In the second phase of the polls held on March 24, candidates of Awami League secured the chairman posts in 74 upazilas while independent candidates including AL rebels at 38 and Jatiya Party candidates were elected two upazilas.
On March 10, candidates of the ruling Awami League in the first phase of the upazila parishad elections secured the chairman posts in 58 upazilas while independent candidates including AL rebels were elected at 23 upazilas.
In the first three phases of total five phases of the upazila polls, so far 76 AL’s chairmen candidates were elected uncontested 34 more set to be elected uncontested in the fourth phase of the polls slated for March 31.
As per the election schedule, the fifth phase of the upazila elections will be held on June 18.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net