Municipal polls end
Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party-backed candidates dominated the municipality elections winning 95 mayoral positions while ruling Awami League-backed candidates won 89 in 242 municipalities.
The staggered polls to 242 municipalities across the country ended with elections to 58 municipalities in the Chittagong and Sylhet Divisions on Tuesday amid sporadic incidents of clashes and attacks on polling centres in places.
Rebel Awami League candidates, according to unofficial results, won mayoral posts in 17 municipalities and rebel BNP candidates in 10 municipalities. Four of the mayors elected are independent candidates.
Five Jamaat-e-Islami-backed candidates, one Jatiya-Party-backed candidate, one Liberal Democratic Party-backed candidate and a rebel Jatiya Party candidates were also elected mayors.
The Election Commission suspended or withheld the results of nine municipalities in three divisions — Kaliakair and Ghatail in Dhaka, Habiganj in Sylhet and Senbagh, Noakhali, Kabirhat, Nangalkot, Sonagazi and Patiya in Chittagong.
In the polls on Tuesday in the Chittagong and Sylhet divisions, candidates backed by the BNP won 24 mayoral posts while candidates backed by the Awami League won 20 post of mayor in 51 municipalities as election officials suspended or withheld results of seven municipalities out of 58 that went to polls in two divisions.
Two mayoral posts each were won by rebel BNP, rebel AL and independent candidates. A Liberal Democratic Party-backed candidate also won in the mayoral race.
The Election Commission earlier in the day suspended polling at the Senbagh municipality after widespread violence in all the polling centres. The commission also suspended polling in 17 centres in the Noakhali, one centre each in Kabirhat in Noakhali, Nangalkot in Comilla and Habiganj.
The results in the Sonagazi municipal polls in Feni and Patiya in Chittagong were not announced as results were withheld till 1:00am on Wednesday after violence had spilled over places in the municipality.
In Patiya, AL-backed Harunur Rashid (7,000 votes) was leading against rebel AL candidate Badiul Alam (5,948) in 12 out of 13 centres.
Supporters of both the candidates clashed, vandalised vehicles and business establishments and set on fire a car centring on the counting of ballots in the remaining centre that have 3383 votes.
The elections to 243 out of 310 municipalities across the country began on January 12. But the High Court stayed for three weeks the polls to the Brahmanbaria municipality on Monday just a day before the polling.
In the first three spells of the polls, BNP-backed candidates won 71 mayoral posts in Rangpur, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal and Dhaka divisions while the candidates backed by the ruling Awami League trailed closely behind winning 69 posts of mayor in five divisions.
Following are the partial results of Tuesday’s municipal polls in the Chittagong and Sylhet divisions:
Moulvibazar: At Moulvibazar, BNP-backed Faizul Karim Moyun (11,496 votes) was unofficially elected mayor; AL-backed Saifur Rahman Babul (5819) lost. At Baralekha, BNP-backed Fakhrul Islam (2,715) defeated AL-backed Rafiqul Islam Sundar (2,367). At Kulaura, BNP-backed Kamal Uddin Ahmed Juned (4,146) defeated AL-backed Enamul Islam Enam (3,162). At Srimangal, BNP-backed Mohsin Mia Modhu (4,317) defeated rebel BNP candidate Ahad Mia (3,678). At Kamalganj, BNP-backed Abu Ibarahim Jamsed (3,187) defeated AL-backed Afsar Salah Keramat Nanna (1,844).
Lakshmipur: At Lakshmipur, AL-backed MA Taher (19,289 votes) was unofficially elected mayor; BNP-backed Hasanuzzman Chowdhury Mintu (8,661) lost. At Raipur, BNP-backed ABM Zilani (6,216) defeated AL-backed Ismail (3,811). At Ramganj, AL-backed Belal Ahmed (10,993) defeated BNP-backed Humayun Patuari (5,268). At Ramgati, BNP-backed Shahed Ali Potu (3,978) defeated Jamaat-backed Khandaker Moslehuddin (2,848).
Brahmanbaria: At Akhaura, BNP-backed MN Sahan Khan (4,472 votes) was unofficially elected mayor; AL-backed Tanjil Khalifa Kajol (3,514) lost.
Khagrachari: At Khagrachari, independent candidate Rafiqul Alam (10,886) was unofficially mayor; independent candidate Biman Khisha (5,670) lost. At Matiranga, BNP-backed Md Abu Yousuf Chowdhury (3,279) defeated rebel BNP candidate Badsha Mia (2,021).
Noakhali: At Chowmohuni, AL-backed Mamunur Rashid Kiron (14,734 votes) was unofficially elected mayor; BNP-backed Zulfikar Ali Bhutto (9,262) lost. At Chatkhil, AL-backed Serajul Islam Chowdhury (6,156) defeated BNP-backed Mostafa Kamal (5,613). At Basurhat, AL-backed Abdul Kader Mirza (7,205) defeated BNP-backed Kamal Uddin Chowdhury (4,050). At Hatiya, rebel AL candidate Yousul Ali (8,467) defeated AL-backed Saifuddin Ahmed (6743).
Comilla: At Barura, BNP-backed Jasimuddin Patwari (12,602 votes) was unofficially elected mayor; AL-backed Haji Amir Hossain (8,300) lost. At Chandina, BNP-backed Shah Alamgir (6,102) defeated Liberal Democratic Party-backed Abdul Mannan Sarker (4,802). At Daudkandi, BNP-backed Nasir Uddin (9,402) defeated AL-backed Shah Alam Chowdhury (8,903). At Homna, BNP-backed Harun-or-Rashid (6,159) defeated AL-backed Abdul Jalil (5,766). At Chauddagram, Al-backed Mizanur Rahman (8,899) defeated rebel AL candidate Nayon Bangali (5,246). At Laksam, independent candidate Mofizur Rahman (9,278) defeated BNP-backed Subhas Banik (7,533)
Chadpur: At Chgengarchar, AL-backed Biallal Hossain (12,104 votes) was unofficially elected mayor; BNP-backed Amena Begum (1,991) lost. At Hajiganj, BNP-backed Abdul Mannan Khan Bachchu (16,502) defeated AL-backed Gazi Moinuddin (10,068). At Kachua, BNP-backed Humayun Kabir (4,874) defeated AL-backed Ahsan Habib Prodhan (3,500). At Faridganj, rebel BNP candidate Monjil Hossain Monjil (7,601) defeated BNP-backed Safiqul Islam (5,738). At Shahrasti, rebel BNP candidate Mostafa Kamal (4,592) defeated AL-backed Mosharraf Hossain (3,993). At Matlab, BNP-backed Enamul Haque Badal (12,516) defeated AL-backed Nurul Islam Nuru (7,554).
Chittagong: At Baroirhat, AL-backed SM Taher Bhuiyan (2,639 votes) was unofficially elected mayor; BNP-backed Moinuddin Liton (1,573) lost. At Mirsarai, AL-backed Mohammad Shahjahan (2,612) defeated BNP-backed Fakir Ahmed (1,626). At Rangunia, AL-backed Khalilur Rahman Chowdhury (6,749) defeated BNP-backed Emdadul Islam (6,456). At Sandwip, AL-backed Mohammad Zafarullah (10,035) defeated BNP-backed Alamgir Hossain (2,331). At Satkania, BNP-backed Mahmudur Rahman (9,514) defeated AL-backed Mohammad Jubayer (6,425). At Raujan, BNP-backed Abdullah Al Hasan (10,536) defeated AL-backed Debashis Palit (8,800). At Chandanaish, Liberal Democratic Party-backed Mohammed Aiub Kutubi (6,633) defeated BNP-backed Nurul Anwar Chowdhury (4,560). At Banshkhali, AL-backed Sheikh Fakhruddin (10, 810) defeated BNP-backed Kamrul Islam Hossaini (5,855).
Sunamganj: At Sunamganj, AL-backed Ayub Ali Bakht Zaglul (18,255 votes) was unofficially elected mayor; independent candidate Shergul Ahmed (7,636) lost. At Chhatak, AL-backed Abul Kalam Chowdhury (7,450) defeated independent candidate Saifur Rahman Khokan (5,537). At Dirai, AL-backed Azizur Rahman Bulbul (6,922) defeated BNP-backed Moinuddin Chowdhury (6,567). At Jagannathpur, BNP-backed Akhtaruzzman Akhter (7,311) defeated AL-backed Abdul Mannaf (3,611)
Rangamati: At Rangamati BNP-backed Saiful Islam Bhutto (10,883 votes) was unofficially elected mayor; independent candidate Pratin Roy Tanpu (8,916) lost.
Bandarban: At Bandarban, BNP-backed Javed Reza (5,043 votes) was unofficially elected mayor; independent candidate Ayub Chowdhury (3,270) lost. At Lama, BNP-backed Amir Hossain (4,811) defeated AL-backed Zahirul Islam (3,329).
Feni: At Feni, AL-backed Nizamuddin Hazari (26,497 votes) was unofficially elected mayor; rebel BNP candidate Nurul Afsar (13,287) lost. At Parshuram, AL-backed Nizamuddin Chowdhury Sajel (7,818) defeated BNP-backed Abu Taleb (4,620).
Habiganj: At Shayestaganj, BNP-backed Ahmed Oli (6,452 votes) was unofficially elected mayor; AL-backed Abdur Rashid Talukder Iqbal (3,436) lost. At Nabiganj, AL-backed Tofazzal Hossain Chowdhury (5,174) defeated BNP-backed Abdus Sahid Golap (5,028). At Madhabpur, rebel AL candidate Hirendra Lal Saha (3,528) defeated AL-backed Shah Mohammad Muslim (2,989). At Chunarughat, BNP-backed Mohammad Ali (2,931) defeated AL-backed Abu Taher (2902).
Sylhet: At Zakiganj, AL-backed Anwar Hossain Sonaullah (2,560 votes) was unofficially elected mayor; BNP-backed Iqbal Ahmed Chowdhury (2345) lost. At Kanaighat, AL-backed Lurfar Rahman (3,454) defeated Jamaat-backed Waliullah (2,708).
