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the way it was held,” he said, adding that the election was not free and fair at all.

BNP yesterday also submitted a written complaint to the Election Commission over irregularities centring the polls.

A BNP delegation led by the party’s standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury handed over the complaint to the commission.

PEOPLE HAVE NO FAITH IN ELECTION SYSTEM: DR KAMAL

After casting his vote at Viqarunnisa Noon School and College yesterday morning, Gonoforum President and Jatiya Oikya Front Convener Dr Kamal Hossain expressed his dissatisfaction over the low number of voters, and hassles of casting votes through EVM.

Talking to reporters there, he said the low turnout shows that voters have no confidence in the election system.

ONLY ONE PARTY ON THE FIELD: EC MAHBUB TALUKDAR

Election Commissioner Mahbub Talukdar yesterday in a statement said the no party except for one was seen on the voting field.

“The reason behind other parties’ absence in the voting filed is unknown to me,” he said, adding that he was shocked at the violation of the electoral code of conduct after the election schedule was declared.

There is no point of having a code of conduct if no action is taken against its violations, he said in the statement.

He said, “I visited 12 polling centers between 10am to 2pm. I did not find any agent of any other mayor candidates other than those of the ruling party-nominated mayor candidates at any of these 12 centres. Around 10 percent votes were cast since 8am to 1:30pm at these polling centres”.

Mahbub Talukdar, however, said the election was very peaceful, as no clash or bloodshed other than some isolated incidents took place.

The biggest achievement is that 100 percent votes were not cast in the election, and there was not scope to seal ballot boxes the night before election day -- due to the use of EVM in this election, he said.

GOVT HAS FAILED TO HOLD PARTICIPATORY POLLS: CPB

Besides, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) President Mujahidul Islam Selim and its General Secretary Mohammad Shah Alam yesterday said in a statement that the Election Commission and the government have completely failed to hold a participatory election of people in Dhaka city.

“Most people could not got to polling centres and could not cast their votes, as the ruling political party has created panic among the people in various ways. City dwellers have witnessed another new farce staged in the name of voting,” they said.

In their statement, the CPB leaders said the ruling party men have created a fearful environment at most of the polling centres, and frightened people so that they lost their enthusiasm to go to polling centres.