Win fails to bring joy to AL camp

Voter turnout was as low as 36 percent in neighbourhoods known as strongholds of incumbent Barishal Mayor Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah in Monday's polls to the Barishal City Corporation, according to centre-wise voting results.

Voters, AL leaders, and supporters from these areas abstained from voting because of tension between Sadiq and his uncle -- mayor-elected Abul Khair Abdullah, said sources.

Sadiq, also the secretary of the Barishal city Awami League (AL), who was in Dhaka on election day, did not even go to Barishal to vote.

Prior to the election, there were reports of a rift between Khair and his nephew Sadiq after Khair received the AL ticket to run for mayor.

Even, Sadiq's father, Abul Hasanat Abdullah, and his supporters also stayed away from Sadiq's election campaign.

Khair won the polls with 87,808 votes, which is more than 62 percent of the total votes cast (1.42 lakh votes).

In spite of the victory, the AL leaders and activists in the city did not arrange any celebration.

This newspaper yesterday found the city AL office locked.

Even around the AL's central campaign office, very few leaders and supporters were seen.

Leaders of the city unit AL did not even meet the mayor-elect to congratulate him.

Speaking to this newspaper yesterday, Hemayet Uddin Sumon, office secretary of city unit AL, said, "We have already issued a press release congratulating the newly-elected mayor. But we didn't get the chance to congratulate him in person."

Khair yesterday said that he did not want any division and was eager to work with everyone irrespective of party affiliation.

A day after winning the BCC polls, he made the remark when a reporter asked him whether he would work with all AL leaders and supporters as many were not seen with him during his campaign.

Speaking on the matter, Rafiqul Alam, secretary of Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Barishal city unit), said the city's development would encounter obstacles if the conflict within the AL was not addressed.

LOW TURNOUT OUT OF FEAR

The voter turnout was poor at the polling centres that are located in areas that are known to be dominated by Sadiq.

There was a 37.07 percent turnout at the Matri Mandir Primary School centre, 36.03 percent at the Abdur Rab Serniabad centre, and 38.05 percent at Adarsha Pouro Primary School centre.

Sadiq's followers were not a part of Khair's campaign and Khair also kept them aside since he got the party nomination.

As a result, most voters in these areas avoided polling centres for fear of harassment by Khair supporters, said an AL supporter close to Sadiq.

"We didn't go out on election day and a number of Sadiq's men left the city on the day," he added.

Even at the Barishal Government College centre, where Sadiq is a voter and where Khair cast his ballot, there was a 53 percent turnout.

Meanwhile, at polling centres on the city's outskirts, the voter turnout was between 60 and 73 percent.

MOST COUNCILLORS ARE SADIQ's FOLLOWERS

According to election results, 21 of the 30 councillors are from the AL, six from the BNP, one from Jamaat, and two are independent.

Sources say, 13 of the 21 AL councillors support Sadiq, while the remaining eight support Khair.

Meanwhile, eight of the 10 female councillors are from the AL and two are from the BNP.

IAB WON ONLY TWO CENTRES

Mufti Syed Faizul Karim, the Islami Andolon Bangladesh (IAB) mayoral candidate, received 33,888 votes, which is 23.86 percent of all votes cast.

After analysing centre-by-centre results, it was discovered that the IAB nominee won in only two of the total 126 polling centres.

One of these two centres is Government Saheed Abdur Rab Serniabat High School, where Faziul voted, and the other is in the same area.

According to the result sheet, the IAB candidate received the majority of votes in the city's extended areas -- Sagordi, Harinafulia, and Koladema -- where the majority of the madrasas are located.