'Forced casting' in front of BNP agents in Pubail

Cries of forced casting during the Gazipur City Corporation election echoed from a centre in Pubail by ruling Awami League in favour of their candidate front of submissive BNP agents.

Multiple voters of Pubail Ideal University College complained that the ruling Awami League agents at the eight booths were forcing them to cast vote for ruling party’s mayor runner Md Jahangir Alam.

The Daily Star found two to three people in front of each of the polling booths, who wore badges of Awami League. They were going in and out of the polling booths. Some were using mobile phones in polling booths against the rules.

However, BNP polling agents were silent in this regard. They seemed helpless and submissive in front of the Awami League’s polling agents.

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Mahbubul Alam Mollah, BNP’s polling agent for booth no. 1, told The Daily Star that he was intimidated by Awami League’s agents in the morning and “told not to interfere”.

When inquired how the vote was going, Assistant Returning Officer Nazmul Islam told reporters that it was going on peacefully. Regarding allegations of violation, he told Presiding Officer Sheikh Md Ataullah to ensure that no one uses mobile phones in the centres.

Meanwhile, outside the polling booths, the women who were standing in long queues claimed of unusual delay and said people who were not in line were casting votes.

It is to be noted that Pubail Ideal University College has a voter base of 3,364.