JaPa’s Mostafizur on way to win landslide victory

Staff Correspondent, Rangpur: Jatiya Party (JaPa) candidate Mostafizur Rahman has taken a clear lead in the mayoral race of Rangpur City Corporation (RpCC) as shown in the early unofficial result.

According to the unofficial result last reported, Mostafizur bagged 1,08,393 votes in 126 out of 193 polling stations while his nearest rival Awami League contender Sarfuddin Ahmed Jhantu got 40,645 and BNP contestant Kawsar Jahan Babla got only 26,853 votes.

Seven candidates are contesting the election for the mayoral post while 211 candidates for ward councillors and 65 women candidates for reserved councilors.

The voting was held from 8:00am to 4:00pm without any break at 193 polling stations in the city corporation in a peaceful atmosphere with the good turnout of voters.

A total of 3,93,994 voters -- 1,96,356 men and 1,97,638 women -– were supposed to cast votes to elect one mayor, 33 ward councillors and 11 councillors to the reserved seats of women in the election.

The Election Commission termed the RpCC polls a ‘model election’ saying that it was held amid a festive mood.

“We earlier said that we will present a model election in the RpCC area and have been able to do that. This election has been held in a free, fair and festive mood, Election Commissioner Md Rafiqul Islam said.

BNP's allegation of creating obstruction by administration on the way of smooth voting in Rangpur City Corporation polls is not valid, Rafiqul Islam said

BNP at a press briefing earlier in the day alleged that the local administration obstructed voters on their way to the polling stations and their polling agents were also driven out of the polling booths.

Earlier at about 2:30pm, Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda told reporters that they were happy with the overall election situation in Rangpur.

Trashing BNP’s allegation, he said, “We’ve gleaned information from the local level. Voters didn’t come up with any complaint. So, we think the allegation is not authentic,”

Instead of ballot papers, the newly designed Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) was used in a polling station --the Begum Rokeya Government College at ward 25- of the election.

Read more:

Voting underway in Rangpur city polls

‘Around 65-70pc votes cast’

risingbd/Rangpur/Dec 21, 2017/Nazrul Mridha/AI