Awami League candidate Md Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin won the by-election to Dhaka-10 constituency, held amid the lowest ever voter turnout due to the coronavirus outbreak.

In the Gaibandha-3 constituency, AL candidate Umme Kulsum Smrity won the by-polls with 201,482 votes, while her closest rival was BNP candidate Moinul Hasan Sadiq, who bagged 41,408 votes, said Returning Officer Mahbubur Rahman.

In Bagerhat-4, AL candidate Amirul Alam Milon won big. He got 1.82 lakh votes whilst his rival JP's Sajon Kumar Mistri got 3,744 votes.

Meanwhile, Dhaka-10 BNP candidate Sheikh Rabiul Alam boycotted the result of the by-polls, alleging that his agents were driven out of or not allowed to enter the polling centres.

Returning officer GM Shahtab Uddin, while announcing the unofficial results, said Mohiuddin secured 15,955 votes while his nearest rival Rabiul bagged 817 votes.

According to the results, 16,965 votes were cast out of 321,275 votes. This shows that the voter turnout was 5.28 percent.

Six candidates contested the Dhaka-10 constituency elections.

Election Commission Senior Secretary Md Alamgir said that voter turnout was about five percent in the Dhaka-10 by-polls till 2:00pm. "Even if only one voter cast a vote, it is a participatory election," he added.

"Voter turnout was less as there is no scope for casting false votes in the election using Electronic Voting Machine," he said.

Election watchdog Shushasoner Jonno Nagorik secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar said, "As far as I know, this will be the lowest ever turnout rate in national election or by-polls,"

He blamed the coronavirus scare as well as voters' apathy towards polling.

Correspondents, while visiting 10 polling centres, found polling officials chitchatting amongst themselves, while some passed their time reading newspapers or roaming inside the polling centre.

Law enforcers were sitting idle.

These correspondents found hand sanitisers at all booths.

Around 4:00pm, Future Gem International School looked deserted without any voter. Presiding Officer Alok Kumar Roy said that 80 out of total 3,110 votes were cast.

Officials sitting inside an empty polling booth in New Model University College in the capital’s Dhanmondi during yesterday’s by-election to Dhaka-10 constituency. Despite calls for postponing the by-polls over Covid-19 concerns, the EC pressed ahead. The turnout was 5.28 percent yesterday. Photo: Prabir Das

According to presiding officers, 39 out of 2,388 votes were cast till 3:15pm at Queens School and College centre. At Maneshwar Government Primary School centre, 39 votes out of 3,000 were cast till 3:30pm.

New Model Bohumukhi Uchchha Bidyaloy centre had few voters at the two polling centres -- separate for men and women -- set up there.

Only 23 female voters, out of 2,998, and 85 male voters, out of 3,767, cast their votes at the centres till noon.

Mojahidul Islam and Manjurul Hasan, presiding officers, said coronavirus is a key factor behind the low voter turnout.

Awami League candidate Md Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin said there is panic among people and that is the reason behind the low turnout.

He said the IEDCR's comment about how using EVMs in the election may increase the risk of coronavirus spread, was another reason for the low turnout.

Mohiuddin in his first attempt in the morning failed to cast his vote as his fingerprint did not match the server information, an assistant presiding officer of Lake Circus Girls High School said. Mohiuddin, however, was able to cast his vote in the afternoon.

Many election officials expressed dissatisfaction over the holding of the election amid the Covid-19 outbreak.

"At this time of danger, the election commission asked all to exercise our political rights; it is nothing but a mockery," said a school teacher who was on duty at a polling centre.

Another polling official at Queens School and College at the capital's Jigatola said the EC has made it clear that it has failed to read people's minds centring the ongoing situation at the time of the coronavirus outbreak.

"Under what consideration, the election commission could take such decision that puts our lives in danger?" asked a polling official, wishing anonymity, at Future Gem International School polling station in the capital's Moneshwar Road in Hajaribagh.

He said the government has asked everyone to maintain social distance as it has imposed ban on social, cultural, political and religious gatherings.

On the contrary, the EC is encouraging people to hold gatherings in the name of election.

Mohammad Faruk, a resident of Dhanmondi area who did not go to cast his vote, said, "The Election Commission has asked us to exercise our political rights to vote. But do they know that no right is more important than the right to live?"

Several voters said the EC could have easily deferred the by-polls as the present situation is not congenial for holding a free, fair and participatory polls.

The Dhaka-10 seat fell vacant as AL MP Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh resigned on December 29 to contest the Dhaka South City Corporation election.