Re-election to 60 out of 122 polling centres in Jessore 5 constituency yesterday witnessed 58% voter turnout which was contrary to the expectation of locals.
Interestingly, Jamaat-Shibir and BNP men visited voters’ residences over the last two nights preceding the re-polling and campaigned for independent candidate Swapan Bhattacharya, an Awami League rival candidate.
Swapan contested as an independent candidate with the electoral symbol Kalosh, a traditional earthen water reservoir and carrier.
Bilash Kundu, 19, standing outside Syed Mahmud Government Primary School polling centre around 1:30pm said he said he had heard that Swapan and Jamaat-Shibir-BNP men made a deal.
“If he [Swapan] wins the election our neighbours arrested by the joint forces in raids that continued since the election day violence will be released,” said Elija Begum, a voter at Hazrakathi primary school polling centre.
She alleged three of her innocent neighbours, either son or brother or relatives of two BNP activists, were arrested by the joint forces.
“In today’s election we don’t have any political identities. We have joined hands for the sake of our survival,” said Azizur, 42, a resident of Fotehabad village.
Swapan, however, refuted the allegation of a secret deal with BNP-Jamaat men: “I did not say that criminal would be released. I will definitely recommend releasing the innocent people arrested for the election violence and withdrawing of the cases filed against them,” Swapan told journalists.
Tipu Sultan could not be reached for his comment. Monirampur Thana BNP General Secretary SM Mashiur Rahman admitted that this time they did not ask people to boycott the election just for the sake of getting rid of “dreadful” Khan Tipu Sultan who has been elected MP thrice on Awami League tickets since 1991 from the constituency.
Khan Tipu Sultan’s electoral symbol was Boat.
“He (Tipu) has 10-15 gangs of criminals who have maimed at least 2000 people in the last 23 years,” said Mashiur.
Voting in 60 out of the total 122 polling centres in constituency on January 5 was suspended following mindless violence by the opposition.
But this time voters queued up in hundreds, especially women, as the re-polling started at 8am yesterday heavily guarded by police, army and members of the BGB and the RAB.
Even police had to intervene to put people in order often settling altercations over jumping the queue. By 4pm, when the re-polling ended 137,613 out of the total 286,496 votes were cast which took the voter turnout on an average to a surprising 58%.
The turnout appears to be one of the highest in the 10th national parliament election in a constituency, Monirampur, where just 11 days back cocktails fell on polling centres like hailstorm, ballot boxes were snatched and burned, and election officials beaten up along with law enforcers.
A BNP activist was killed in police firing and over 50 were injured as groups of hundreds of masked Jamaat-Shibir and BNP supporters clashed with police throughout the day.
Even journalists had to travel in a motorcade throughout the election day as some areas were announced off-limit for them by Jamaat-Shibir thugs.
“I was too afraid to come receiving reports of polling centres set afire on January 5 with only one or two police guarding the centres,” said Nargis Parvin, a voter at Chinetola Government Primary School polling centre which was guarded by 15 policemen, 10 BGB and 12 Ansar members with additional army men and RAB members constantly patrolling the streets throughout the constituency.
“I felt safe to come out of my house to cast vote as adequate number of law enforcers were deployed at the polling centres this time,” she said.
Almost 1000 of the total 1230 votes were already cast at the centre by 12:30pm and there was not a single report of exploding crude bombs.
Upazila Awami League President Kazi Mahmudul Hassan views the vote as a political defeat for the opposition who eventually participated in the polls they had boycotted.
At the end of the day, independent candidate Swapan Bhattacharya has defeated his rival AL candidate Khan Tipu Sultan by a margin of over 20,000 votes.
Swapan bagged 78,424 votes while Tipu Sultan 58,418 votes. As many as 771 votes were cancelled.
Swapan, who was 12,200 votes behind Tipu Sultan in the election held in the rest 62 constituencies on January 5, was happy seeing the “huge” voter turnout.