His nearest rival and Awami League (AL) candidate Ashraf Uddin Khan Imu bagged 23,724 votes.

Although held after long nine years due to legal tangles, the polls apparently failed to stir enthusiasm among voters as most polling elections wore a deserted look during the polling hours yesterday. Unofficial results put the number of votes cast at 50,404 out of a total of 77,035 registered votes.

The main opposition party, the Awami League, alleged that the polls were rigged by ruling coalition goons who expelled an AL polling agent from a centre and prevented minority voters from casting ballots by threatening them.

Six AL lawmakers monitoring the polls in the area alleged that four-party alliance supporters ousted the AL agent from Karnapada centre under ward No. 6 of the municipality, which is close to the residence of four-party candidate Refat Ullah.

The AL candidate himself became the polling agent at the centre with permission from the centre's presiding officer. But the four-party alliance cadres also forced Imu to leave the centre, sources said. Later, the presiding officer took control of the situation.

The AL supporters also alleged that supporters of the four-party alliance Saturday night threatened voters, including minorities of Badda, Jamshing Rajashon and Karnapada villages, with retaliation should they not vote for the four-party alliance candidate.

Aminur Rahman, newly elected commissioner of ward No. 6, alleged that a large number of fake votes were cast in the Karnapada centre, corroborating the AL allegation about the centre.

Meanwhile, about 40 fake voters were reportedly arrested from different polling centres including Islamia Senior Madrassah, Savar Residential School, Rajashon Government Primary School and Imandipur Government Primary School.

Most of the female voters registered with these centres could not cast their votes due to fake voting.

"My vote had already been cast," said Najma Akhtar, a voter of Radio Colony under ward No. 7, adding that many other women of her ward had the same experience.

AL candidate Imu said fake votes were cast throughout the electoral area, adding that the situation could have been prevented had the authorities deployed the army as requested by the Election Commission.

However, Mahfuza Akhter, election officer of Dhaka district, said, "The election was held in a free and fair manner without any untoward incident."

Members of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR), police and ansars, and 70 magistrates patrolled the area during the polls.

The unofficially elected nine ward commissioners are Mohammad Nazrul Islam Manik of the AL in ward No. 2, Mohammad Khorshed Alam of the alliance in ward No. 3, Hasan Mahmood Master of the alliance in ward No. 1, Ali Jalil Mia (independent) in ward No. 4, Shah Mohammad Moinul Hossain (independent) in ward No. 5, Aminur Rahman Amin (independent) in ward No. 6, Mohammad Ali Khan of the alliance in ward No. 7, Mohammad Abdul Kader of the AL in ward No. 8 and Aynul Huq (independent) in ward No. 9.

Female ward commissioners elected to the three reserved posts are Yasmin Akhter of the alliance in ward No. 1, Aleya Akhter Pari (independent) in ward Nos. 4, 5 and 6, and Biva Rani Das of the AL in ward Nos. 7, 8 and 9.