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Voters stay loyal to old faces

36 out of 46 mayoral contestants lose deposits

Shakhawat Liton
As many as 36 out of 46 mayoral contestants in four city corporations lost their deposits and almost all of those who did not forfeit the sum belong to either Awami League (AL) or BNP.
According to political observers, this suggests that voters in the four cities and nine municipalities have little interest in 'new leadership', a buzzword in the post-1 /11 period.
The results of Monday's contest confined to the old hands backed by AL and BNP also show that the claims of public disillusion with the two major parties still do not stack up, they added.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda yesterday said many people thought that fresh faces would come out of the elections, but the voters chose the ones who have been around for quite a longtime now.
The candidates from AL and BNP shared most of the votes while those who were relatively new and outside the two parties fared too badly to retrieve their deposits.
According to the electoral laws, mayoral contestants shall forfeit their deposits (Tk 10,000) if they fail
to poll one-eighth of the vote.
Of the 10 candidates who managed to secure deposits, four were supported by AL and won the polls while five were backed by BNP at local levels.
The other one was from Progressive Democratic Party (PDP) who has surprised many by finishing second in Barisal City Corporation (BCC) polls and that too by a slender margin.
Sardar Sarfuddin Ahmed Santu of PDP however was once a leader of Jatiya Party. Only recendy he joined the PDP, floated last year reportedly with the blessing of the establishment.
Of the winners, Badaruddin Ahmed Kamran, detained on corruption charges, won by a landslide to be the mayor of Sylhet City Corporation (SCC) for the second term.
It was an easy ride also for Manikganj municipality's incumbent mayor Ramjan Ali, another detained AL man re-elected.
Asked why the campaign for honest and competent persons yielded little, CEC Huda said the constituents had to pick from the candidates available.
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“The Election Commission did look to have honest and competent candidates in the polls. However, we must accept the voters' verdict,” he said.
Huda said the EC would now work to correct whatever problems it faced Monday to ensure fairness of the parliamentary election is beyond question.
Meanwhile, political analysts said the peaceful conduct of Monday's polls, first since reconstitution of the EC in February last year, is a demonstration of the commission's capability to hold elections in a free and fair manner.
In analysis of election results, some of them noted that the abysmal performance of BNP even in its traditional strongholds might be a reflection of public disapproval of the way/t ruled the country between A W»1 and 2006.
'BROM RESULT SHEETS
/In Rajshahi City Corporation, the total number of votes cast was 2,11,231. As per the election laws, a contestant had to win 26,403 votes to avoid forfeiture of deposit.
Only two of the 15 candidates have been able to escape the loss. The winner, AL-backed AHM Khairuzzaman Liton, bagged 98,360 votes while his nearest contender Mosaddek Hossain of BNP got 74,550.
Of those who lost deposits, Akhtaruzzaman Bablu polled 883 votes, Nasir Ahmed Bidet 1,008, Farman Ali 351, Abul Kalam Azad 376- Abdul Khaleq 299, Abdul Matin Khan 1,161, Enarnul Haque 841, Durul Huda "1,789, Masudul Haque Dulu 5,404, Raihanur Rahman 1,457, Ruhul Quddus Tunu 404, Rezaun Nabi 12,721 and Siddiqur Rahman got9,406 votes.
In Khulna City Corporation, the votes cast totalled 3, 10,742 and candidates there had to get 38,842 to get back their deposits.
Only two of six did not face forfeiture. Of them, AL-supported Talukder Abdul Khaleque polled 13^2 votes while his closest competitor Moniruzzaman Moni from BNP got 1,31,976votes.
OfthdtfJnfenders losingdeposits, M Firoz Ahmed managed to get 14,223 votes, SS Moslemuddin 1,027, “hnayet Ali 3,077 and Sheikh Ta'iabur Rahman gofSBO votes.
A total of 1,47,066 votes were cast in the BCC polls. The number of votes that a contestant had to pull to get backdepositwas 18333.
Only four of 10 candidates could avert loss of deposits. Of them, AL-backed candidate Shawkat Hossain
Hiron scored 46,796 votes and PDP's Sardar Sarfuddin Santu bagged 46,208
BNP-backed candidate Ahsan Habib Kamal got 26,416 votes while the dissident BNP contender Ebadul Haque Chan won 19,626votes.
Of those who lost deposits, Abul Kalam Azad managed only885 votes, Kabir Uddin 672, Zahurul Haque 148, Enayet Pir Khan 2,114, Rafiqul Islam 281 and Syed Abdullah Sahid got 807 votes
In SCC, a candidate had to secure 24,045 votes to get back deposit since the total number of votes cast there was 1,92,362.
Only two of 15 contenders won back their deposits. Of them, AL candidate and incumbent SCC mayor Kamran polled 1,15,436 votes and his rival AFM Kamal from BNP got 32,097.
Dissident BNP candidate MA Haque got 23,487 votes, Abdul Mukit Khan 2,077, Abdus Samad Nazrul 947, Sirajul Islam 2,565, Kutub Uddin Ahmed 207, Kazi Kamal Ahmed 730, Bashir Ahmed 396, Babrul Hossain Bablu 3,692, Kunu Mia 2,369, Salauddin Rimon 470, Syed Ali Afsar 848, Syed Muhibur Rahman 944 and Syed Habibur Rahman Hiron got 354 votes.