Go home or spend three years in jail

A dumbfounded Md Hossain shows his national ID card yesterday after a polling agent of Awami League-backed mayor candidate AJM Nasir Uddin threatened him with a three-year jail sentence accusing him of trying to cast votes twice. He had just found out that his vote had already been stuffed into the ballot box at the Chittagong Board Primary School polling centre in the port city around 11:30am. Photo: Star

He was understandably dejected after being informed that someone already has cast his vote. He didn't know who did it but a polling agent of Awami League-backed mayoral candidate AJM Nasir Uddin threatened him that he will be sentenced for at least three years if he does not return home. 

Md Hossain faced this bitter experience around 11:30am yesterday when he went to the booth no-4 at Chittagong Board Primary School to cast his vote. Not only Hossain, about 50 other voters, including his brother and uncle, could not cast their votes facing the similar situation.  

Hossain showed his voter identity card and his finger without black marks, which are put before casting any vote, before polling officers--Fazilatunnesa and Robiul Hasan--working in the booth but they told him that they could do nothing about it.

When Hossain asked the polling officers how someone could cast his vote though the voter list contains photos of voters, the officials remained silent.

"My younger brother and uncle also have to return home without casting votes as someone has already cast their votes," Hossain told The Daily Star.

After getting the allegation from Hossain, The Daily Star correspondent and other journalists rushed to the booth but the ruling party polling agent fled it before.