Dhaka, Dec 31 (Just News): Ruling Awami League staged a controlled parliamentary elections marred by intimidation of voters, polling agent ouster, centre grabbing, massive ballot stuffing and clashes on Sunday which was backed by law enforcers agencies.
In the controlled election Awami League-led Grand Alliance took 259 seats in 293 constituencies in their control and gave its opposition Dr Kamal-led Jatiya Oikyafront only six seats. One the other hand Jatiya Party offered 17 seats while others got six seats.
In a hurriedly called news conference on Sunday night, the leader of the Jatiya Oikya Front - the main opposition alliance - dubbed the election farcical.
“We reject the farcical election and want the election commission to hold a fresh election under a non-partisan administration,” said Kamal Hossain.
At least 21 people were killed in different districts in clashes on the day.
Of the dead, two were killed in Chattogram, two in Cumilla, two in Rajshahi and one each in Cox’s Bazar, Bogura, Brahmanbaria, Noakhali, Narsingdi, Sylhet, Gazipur, Jashore, Laxmipur and Dinajpur, according to our correspondents in the districts. Scores of people were also injured in the clashes.
Most of the polling stations were under control of the ruling Awami League activists.
Opposition polling agents were forced out of the polling stations in many places, while many opposition candidates did not place agents in polling centres in their respective constituencies.
There was presence of fake agents who did not even know the candidates they were representing.
Over 100 opposition candidates declared their boycott of polling several hours after beginning of the polling alleging that the ruling party activists stuffed ballots in scores of centres in presence of police in their respective constituency since last night.
Scores of voters in many polling centres alleged that they faced difficulty in casting votes due to mismatch between the voter numbers they got from online services set by the Election Commission with the voters list with the polling officials in their respective constituencies.
In most cases, the polling officers deceived the voters who were not carrying voters numbers mentioned in voters slips provided by agents of respective AL candidates.
Stuffing ballot papers inside polling booths with long cue of AL activists outside the booths for keeping voters in waiting in a strongly controlled manner was common in polling stations.
At many places, voters in general, female voters in particular, and journalists were barred from entering the polling stations.
Opposition agents and journalists were not allowed during counting of ballots in most of the polling stations in spite of prior assurance of the chief election commissioner.
Hundreds of voters failed to cast their votes for suspension of polling in centres equipped with electronic voting machines while many others alleged that they were intimidated by AL agents while casting votes using the machines.
Ruling AL men in many centres kept the voters on watch and dictated them to cast voter for boat, symbol of the AL.
Election camp of BNP were seen hardly anywhere.
(Justnews/ys/0220hr)
