Incumbent Barishal City Corporation (BCC) Mayor Serniabad Sadiq Abdullah, also the secretary of Awami League city unit, did not cast his vote in today's city corporation polls.

"Sadiq is now in Dhaka and he didn't come to Barishal to cast his vote," Mizanur Rahman, cultural secretary of the AL city unit, told The Daily Star.

Sadiq was a voter under the Barishal Government College polling centre.

According to the party leaders, Sadiq has been away from Barishal city since the election campaign started on May 26.

Meer Amin Uddin Mohon, former secretary of AL city unit, said Sadiq was under instruction from the top levels of the party not to come to Barishal before the election.

"Not only Sadiq, but his followers were also not seen at the polling centres to cast their votes today," added Mohon.

There was a rift between Abul Khair Abdullah and his nephew Sadiq, since Khair got the AL party ticket for the BCC election.

The followers of Abul Hasanat Abdullah, Sadiq's father, have also stayed away from the start of the election process.

Khair Abdullah has carried out the entire election activities with his trusted leaders and workers.

Earlier in the day, the AL candidate refused to make a comment on whether Sadiq would vote in the election.

"I do not want to make any comment," he said after casting his vote at Government Barishal College polling centre around 10:30am today.

Even a day earlier, when Khair was asked whether his brother and nephew would be with him in the election, he said, "Sorry, I have no comment in this regard."