Ariful urges EC to be alert over dead votes

Staff Correspondent: BNP mayoral candidate Ariful Haque Chowdhury in Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) polls has urged Election Commission (EC) to be alert so that dead and immigrant votes are not cast in the suspended two polling stations scheduled to be held on August 11.

Arif, who is slightly ahead of his Awami League contestant Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran in a close contest, told this to the reporters after meeting Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) at the Election Building (Nirbachan Bhaban) in the capital’s Agargaon on Thursday.

He said, “I submitted a list of voters who have died and are staying in abroad. I requested CEC that as they are not in the country, their votes should not be casted.”

“Even though they cast the votes, I’m still ahead in the contest with many votes. Now EC will consider the matter,” he added.

When asked about SCC election, he said, “You know better. Media show the news eliminating some parts of it. I do not want to tell anything without Live. Otherwise, you will air it after removing some parts.”

When asked over the allegation raised by him that voting was not fair, he said, “From the very beginning, I was telling that I will be elected because I have confidence on my people. I’m still speaking with the confidence. I never said for a single time that I would defeat. You got the proof. Though many irregularities were not released, I’m still ahead in the contest.”

On July 30, elections held in three city corporations (Rajshahi, Barisal and Sylhet). AL candidates AHM Khairuzzaman Liton won in Rajshahi while Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah in Barisal.

In Sylhet, Ariful has taken a lead by 4,626 votes based on results of 132 polling centres out of 134.

Ariful bagged 90,496 votes while Kamran got 85,870 votes.

However, the election commission did not declare Ariful victorious as the results of the rest two centres (4,787 votes) were suspended.
 

risingbd/Dhaka/August 09, 2018/Hasibul/A K Azad