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Barisal result sparks off high tension

Rakib Hasnet Suman and RAFIQUL ISLAM, from Barisal
Polytechnic College polling centre on Kalu Shah Road in Barisal has only 2,074 voters and is only a kilometre away from Barisal Election Commission office on C&B Road: yet the election officials took about 13 hours to announce its result creating uncertainty and a tense atmosphere in the city.
The presiding officer of the polling centre later on told reporters that he had submitted the result sheet to the authorities concerned
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around 10:00pm Monday. The returning officer did not make any comments in this regard and only said, "God knows I did no wrong."
The result of Barisal City Corporation mayor election was eventually announced at 5:15 next morning to declare Hiron the winner by just 588 votes.
Earlier, the situation became tensed at the Election Commission (EQ as the two leading mayoral candidates engaged themselves in a serious altercation in front of the EC officials including the returning officer. They also filed complaints against each other in connection with rigging the polls.
At 5:15am yesterday, the return ing officer announced that Shawkat Hossain Hiron, Awami League backed Barisal City Corporation mayor candidate, bagged 46,796 votes while his nearest rival Sharfuddin Ahmed Santu, backed by Progressive Democratic Pam got 16.208 votes
Hiron left the EC control room on receiving a result sheet signed by the returning officer that showed him unofficially elected.
At around 1:45am, Hiron rushed
to the EC control room and told reporters that Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) personnel and members of an intelligence agency were trying to snatch his victory through "electionengineering".
"Rab attacked my supporters in different areas. The EC has failed to collect result sheets... they did not even count the ballots in front of my agents. An intelligence agency is also involved in this. They are trying to get a certain candidate elected and that is why I am rejecting the election result," he told reporters. He also talked to Election Commission Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) Sakhawat Hossain over telephone.
Talukder Mohammad Yunus, agent of Hiron, filed a complaint in which he said Hiron's supporters were obstructed to vote in a number of polling centres and they were even injured in attacks by Rab personnel.
Sharfuddin Ahmed Santu also went to the EC control room.
Around 2:15am the EC announced results of 84 polling centres out of 91 and Hiron was ahead by only 143 votes. At 3:00am the EC officials declared results of 90
polling centres and his lead increased but only to 784.
The EC was not talking about why a polling centre just a kilometre away was delaying results and repeated queries about the delay failed to elicit a reasonable answer.
Hiron and Santu then exchanged heated words inside the commissionoffice.
"We have asked the presiding officer to come here [the EC control room) but he is sleeping," Returning Officer Monirul Islam said, adding that police went to his home to bring him to the EC control room.
Around 4:00am Presiding Officer of Polytechnic College polling centre Abdul Kader Bepari reached the EC control room and said he submitted the result sheet around 10:00pm.
Showing a result sheet the returning officer asked him, "Is this your signature and did you prepare this sheet?" The presiding officer said, "Yes this is my signature and this is the correct result sheet."
The presiding officer then announced the result using a loud speaker. Hiron got 370 votes while Santu bagged 567 votes in his centre, which meant Hiron won by 588
votes overall.
Santu rejected the result, saying it was not the correct result sheet and "He [the presiding officer] was reading the sheet due to pressure."
A few minutes later Santu left the control room, saying he too thinks that his rival's allegations against Rab and an intelligence agency should be investigated before announcing the result. "I can not accept the result. Ballots should be recounted."
After Santu left, Hiron and his aides tried to mount pressure on the officials to announce the full result of the election. The officials took one more hour and finally at 5:15am Returning Officer Monirul Islam announced the unofficial result.
According to the result sheet 82.02 percent voters cast their votes Monday.
Hiron in his reaction to the result told reporters, "I complained that voters of five to six wards were attacked, making me worried that this would affect the election result. Now I have no complaints."
Hiron returned home around 6:00am on foot accompanied by a huge number of supporters.