Published on 08:44 AM, April 28, 2015

Live: City polls

A female voter is casting her vote at Azimpur Girls’ School and College poling centre in Dhaka on April 28, Tuesday. Voting began in Dhaka and Chittagong city corporations this morning. Photo: Tribeni Chakma
Star Online Report

6:15pm: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad found no irregularities while visiting some polling centres in the city and thanked all for helping him hold a ‘free, fair election’.

6:00pm: Results for polling centre no. 166 under Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) have been announced. AL-backed mayoral aspirant Sayeed Khokon got 1305 votes, BNP-blessed Mirza Abbas got 180 votes, and JP-backed Haji Saifuddin Ahmed Milon got 10 votes. 

5:00pm: Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) mayoral aspirant Zonayed Saki has boycotted the city polls expressing disappointment over the voting process.

5:00pm: Vote counting has begun for Dhaka North, South, and Chittagong city corporations polls.

4:00pm: Voting for Dhaka North, South, and Chittagong city corporations polls ends.

2:45pm: Chhatra League activists supporting councilor aspirant for Ward no. 27 Omar Bin Abdal Aziz, son of Dhaka city unit Awami League president Abdul Aziz, made the assault at around 2:45pm, beating supporters of independent candidate Jinnat Ali Jinnu with rods and making blank shots creating panic among the voters there. Around 25 people were injured in the assault.

1:30pm: Independent councilor aspirant for Ward no. 4 Alhajj Golam Mostofa, former Awami League leader, entered along with 30 to 40 of his supporters in Bashabo girls High School polling centre at around 1:30pm and made an armed assault there. His supporters beat down the polling agents inside and shot four to five rounds of bullets. Yasin Hasan Rabbi, 28, journalist from RisingBD.com covering the polls, was shot in his right leg.

1:30pm: Awami League Joint Secretary General Mahbubul Alam Hanif says in a press briefing that BNP boycotted election in a preplanned manner knowing they would certainly lose in the polls. He alleged that the accusations made by BNP are without definite proof. 

1:00pm: A journalist of The Daily Star was assaulted at Dhaka University area.

12:45pm: Chhatra League, student wing of ruling Awami League, threatened a presiding officer to stuff their votes at Udayan High School polling centre at Dhaka University.

12:40pm: All 3 BNP-endorsed mayoral candidates pull out of race alleging massive vote rigging by pro-AL men.

12:35pm: Two armed men entered polling centre no. 152 in Kamalapur and put seals in favor of electoral symbols 'top' and 'fish', threatening the polling agents not to talk.

Jahangir Alam, whose vote was cast by someone else, was advised by the presiding officer to cast a fake vote at Teachers Training College centre in Dhanmondi.

12:30pm: BNP boycotts Dhaka North, Dhaka South, and Chittagong City Corporation polls. BNP leader Moudud Ahmed makes the announcement through a press briefing on behalf of the party.

12:15pm: Returning Officer in Chittagong Md Abdul Baten says the election will continue as it does not have anything to do with any individual candidate being pulled out of the race and there are other candidates still participating in the polls. He also said there was no formal complain of vote rigging.

Miscreants vandalised ballots at North Kafrul High School polling centre. Photo: Facebook/ J I Mohsan

11:50am: US Ambassador Marcia Bernicat visits Banani Bidyaniketon School and College polling centre.

11:45am: Swedish Ambassador Johan Frisell went to visit Kabi Nazrul Govt. College polling centre within Ward no. 42 and was stuck inside along with his staff for around 45 minutes when a clash erupted between two groups there. They came out after the situation came under control.

11:25am: A group of 20-30 youths with bamboo sticks make noise in front of polling centre at Badrunnesa College trying to create panic among the voters so that they do not enter to vote.

A 75-year-old veteran has just cast his vote at Rajdhani Model High School (Dhaka north), as he has done countless times previously. Watch as he speaks to The Daily Star after casting his vote.

11:15am: Voting was suspended at a polling centre at Kalimullahbagh in Postogola for 25 minutes in presence of a significant number of voters owing to a clash between AL-backed councilor aspirant and independent councilor aspirant for Ward no. 54 until BGB members took control of the situation.

11:00am: Ten to twelve youths allegedly rigged votes at five booths in polling centre no. 151 at Kamlapur Sher-e-bangla Railway High School in favor of the electoral symbols 'top' (Latim) and 'fish'. On finding it, oppositions destroyed ballot boxes.

10:50am: Awami League-backed mayoral aspirant for Dhaka South City Corporation polls Sayeed Khokon casts his vote at Nazirabazar Islamiya Govt. Primary School polling centre.

10:35am: Presiding officer at Rajdhani Model High School polling centre says voting is peaceful. He added that he does not have permission to allow camera inside. Police say they have been directed from control room not to allow cameras inside.

Women voters queuing at Tejgaon Model High School polling centre. Photo: Sujit Sarker

10:30am: Miscreants hurl Four to five crude bombs in front of Lalkhan bazar Primary School polling centre in Chittagong to create panic among the voters so that they do not enter the centre to cast their votes.

10:30am: Voters complain that their votes are cast already at Banglabazar High School polling centre. However only 100 votes out of a total of 1300 have been cast there so far, says our reporter.

10:10am: Voting is suspended in two polling centres at Suritola Govt. Primary School.

9:55am: BNP-blessed mayor hopeful for Dhaka North Tabith Awal submits written complain to presiding officer at Tejgaon College that the polling agents supporting him are barred from entering the polling centre.

9:38am: BNP-backed mayoral aspirant for Chittagong City Corporation polls Manjur Alam casts vote at Haji Daud Primary School polling centre.

9:33am: Mayoral aspirant for Dhaka North City Corporation Annisul Huq casts his vote at Banani Bidyaniketon School and College now.

9:31am: BNP-blessed mayor hopeful for Dhaka North Tabith Awal visits Tejgaon Model High School.

BNP-blessed mayoral aspirant for Dhaka North City Corporation polls visits Tejgaon Model High School. Photo: Sujit Sarker

9:13am: No polling agent for Tabith Awal, BNP-backed mayoral candidate for Dhaka North City Corporation, has been seen at six polling centres in Pallabi till now.

9:00am: AL-backed mayoral aspirant for Chittagong City Corporation polls AJM Nasir casts vote at Municipal Model High School polling centre.

9:00am: Polling agents for AL-backed candidate in Chittagong City Corporation have been trying to take control of three polling centres in Chittagong.

9:00am: About 50 youths entered Tejgaon Girls High School wearing support for Annisul Huq. Officials turned away 10 of them because their faces did not match with documents.

8:45am: Journalists are allowed to enter Mirza Abaas Women’s University College polling centre at Shahjahanpur in Dhaka.

8:45am: Voting going on at four polling centres in Dhanmondi. Only one polling agent for BNP-backed candidate has been seen.8:30am: Voting began peacefully at Shukrabad High School (women voting centre south) at 8:00am. Only 6 votes being cast till 8:30am.

8:15am: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina cast her vote at Dhaka City College in Dhanmondi now.

8:08am: Journalists were barred from entering Mirza Abaas Women’s University College polling centre at Shahjahanpur in Dhaka.

A voter casting his vote for his choice of Dhaka mayor and local councilor candidate at Tejgaon Girls High School at around 8:30am on April 28, 2015. Photo: Sujit Sarker

8:00am: Voting begins for Dhaka North, Dhaka South, and Chittagong City Corporation polls.

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