The opposition BNP-led 18-party favourite mayoral hopeful MA Mannan has won the ballot battle at the maiden Gazipur City Corporation election (GCC).
Gazipur is considered one of the strongholds of the Awami League next to its Gopalganj district, but the latest polls result further disappointed the ruling party alliances following their defeat in the four city corporation elections on June 15.
Results from all 392 polling centres, showed that Mannan bagged 365,444 votes while Awami League-led 14-party favourite Azmat Ullah Khan secured 258,867 votes.
Of the total 10,26,938 voters including 4,99,161 female were set to exercised their franchise between 8:00am and 4:00pm in voting centres across the 330-square kilometre city corporation comprised of two municipalities – Gazipur Sadar and Tongi.
Thousands of enthusiastic voters turned up at the polling stations braving rain and crossing stagnant water and muddy roads in some parts of the city corporation inhibited by lower economic status.
The presence of women voters, mainly readymade garment workers, was remarkable.
The ruling coalition took the city polls as a challenge since the Awami League-backed candidates were defeated in Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet and Barisal city polls.
Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad also extended support to Azmat Uallah, but his support went in vain.
Abdul Mannan who earlier expressed doubt about fair polls in GCC thanked his voters for excercising their franchise in his favour.
He also made allegations of rigging in at least 50 polling stations.
Since morning, rumour spread across the whole city corporation areas that BNP candidate MA Mannan would pull out of the race making the voters puzzled.
BNP leaders and activists came up with the allegations that polling centres were occupied by Awami League men, but the correspondents’ visit to those places found no sign of use of any muscle power.
A large number of law enforcement agencies were deployed in the whole constituency to avert any untoward situation.
After casting his vote at the Islamia Fazil Degree Madrasa centre, MA Mannan alleged that authorities and local Awami League leaders were trying to manipulate the polls to get Azmat Ullah Khan the win.
But most of the allegations were proved “unfounded” by the correspondents’ visit to the spots.
Political observers say the ruling party-backed candidate’s defeat in the Awami League stronghold – Gazipur – ahead of the national election is an ominous signal for the party.
They term the defeat dent in the popularity of Awami League and a boost for the opposition BNP, which is craving restoration of the provision of non-party caretaker government to hold the next general elections.
But the result would in a way bolster Awami League camp that strongly advocates that fair poll is still possible under a political government.
The five defeats practically represents Awami League’s decline in popularity.
The violation of electoral code of conduct did not go unnoticed in some parts of the city corporation.
The supporters of MA Mannan and Azmat Ullah Khan brought out processions chanting slogans in favour of their respective candidates.
In the last four general elections since 1991, BNP candidates won three seats (two in 1991 and one in 2001) while the Awami League 14.
The Awami League leader Tofail Ahmed at a press briefing on Saturday told reporters the BNP’s rigging allegations ahead of the GCC polls aimed to make the fair polls controversial and to reiterate their demand for non-party caretaker government to hold the next general elections.