First time in CCC polls history, no BNP, Jamaat-backed aspirants won councillor race in any of the 55 wards
For the first time in the Chattogram City Corporation polls history, none of the BNP or Jamaat-supported councillor candidates won in any of the 41 general and 14 reserved wards in Wednesday's election.
BNP blamed widespread irregularities and capturing of polling centres by the ruling Awami League men for such results.
All 55 winning candidates in councillor posts are from AL and its rebel candidates, as per the results of CCC polls, which was held amid widespread irregularities, violence and intimidation.
AL rebel candidates won in seven wards, according to party sources.
A total of 22 AL rebel candidates contested in the CCC polls, defying directives of the party high-ups.
In 2015 CCC polls, nine BNP and Jamaat backed councillor candidates had won.
Out of the 55 general and reserved seats, ward-18 was won unopposed. Besides, election was not held in ward-31 due to the death of a candidate, said Election Commission sources.
"In 2015 Chattogram city polls, nine BNP-backed councillor candidates had won. This time, the election was so manipulated and there was widespread irregularities that not a single BNP councillor candidate could win," said Amir Khashru Mahmud Chowdhury, a BNP standing committee member and also the chief coordinator of BNP's mayor candidate Shahadat Hossain.
Asked, Shahadat said there were several BNP-supported candidates who were incumbent councillor and popular in their respective areas.
Citing example of irregularities in the election, Shahadat said in ward-17, BNP-supported candidate Ariful Islam Duke won in the by-election following his father's demise last year. He won by getting over 5,000 votes, he said.
"Unbelievably, he got only 350 votes this time around even though this ward traditionally is a BNP stronghold," he added.
Monowara Begum Moni, a reserved seat councillor candidate, said she was a three-time elected candidate in her ward.
Mentionable, Moni was the immediate past councillor of ward-14, 15 and 19.
"But this time, I was not allowed by the ruling Awami League cadres to enter the polling centre to cast my vote. Even my supporters suffered the same fate," she alleged.
Moni, who came under attack by the AL activists several times during the Wednesday's polls, boycotted the election halfway through the voting, citing massive irregularities and capturing of several polling stations in her three wards.
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