Pro-BNP candidate fears rigging in today's Karnaphuli UZ polls

With the first ever election to newly formed Karnaphuli Upazila Parishad in Chittagong being held today, a BNP-backed candidate has feared the vote would be rigged by a pro-Awami League aspirant.

SM Forkan, the pro-BNP candidate for the post of chairman, has alleged that his rival's supporters were spreading panic so that the voters do not go to polling stations.

“The ruling party [AL] activists vandalised the office of BNP today [yesterday] and blasted crude bombs in front of my house while I was in a meeting with my polling agents,” Forkan told The Daily Star yesterday.

“They also beat my supporters in different unions and threatened them not to go to the polling stations,” he said.

“I informed the returning officer of it. Although he assured us of holding the election in a free and fair manner, I suspect whether my poling agents can stay at the polling centres,” he said.

Forkan was threatened in many ways so that he stepped aside, he alleged. “But I want to see how the Election Commission performs,” he said.

A total of 1,07,799 voters are going to elect a chairman, a vice chairman and a female vice chairman of the upazila parishad today. Apart from AL and BNP candidates, a pro-Islamic Front aspirant is also vying for the chairman post.

Faruk Chowdhury, the AL-backed chairman candidate, brushed aside all the allegations. “They were filing baseless complaints with Election Commission since the election campaign started,” he said.

“We want a free and fair election here,” he added.

Returning Officer Munir Hossain Khan, also district election officer, said the pro-BNP candidate verbally complained about vandalism of the BNP office. “I instantly sent police, Rab and BGB there.”

A total of 21 executive magistrates will be deployed in the upazila for the polls while 10 police personnel would be deployed at 42 polling centres each, he said.

Besides, five platoons of border guards will be deployed as striking force along with Rab.