Shahadat goes to tribunal for scrapping of polls results

Dr Shahadat Hossain. File photo

BNP mayoral candidate in Chattogram City Corporation polls Shahadat Hossain filed a case with the Election Tribunal yesterday, alleging that the election result was manipulated by EC officials.

He demanded cancellation of the January 27 election result and a re-election.

The case was lodged with the court of First Joint District Judge of Chattogram Khairul Amin, Shahadat told The Daily Star.

"In my appeal, I have said the Election Commission has given the printed copies of results of 20 booths out of 4,885 to my polling agents. They provided the handwritten result sheets of the rest 4,865 booths and the results were manipulated," said Shahadat, also convenor of Chattogram city BNP.

"In the handwritten result sheets, they changed the figure of casting votes. They changed 5 percent votes to 22.5 percent," he said.

"Initially, when the results were declared, it was shown that I did not get any votes in three centres, but after three days, they [EC] said I did not get any votes in 28 centres, which is not only unrealistic but also unbelievable," said Shahadat, adding, "It was shown that I got 10 votes or less than that in 178 polling centres which is also unbelievable."

"Above all, a farce was staged in the name of polls and so we demanded cancellation of the election result and fresh polls to be held under a new and transparent EC," he said.

Shahadat made the same allegations before journalists days after the polls were held. At that time, Mohammad Hasanuzzaman, returning officer of the CCC polls, said the allegations were not true.

"The result sheets show the actual figure of casting votes," he told The Daily Star at that time.

This correspondent yesterday could not reach the returning officer for his comments.