Rangpur Bureau: Jatiya Party (Japa) candidate Mostafizar Rahman has been re-elected as mayor in the Rangpur City Corporation elections. The results of all the 229 centers were announced at around 12:30 pm. It can be seen that he won by a big margin. This candidate of plow symbol got 1 lakh 46 thousand 798 votes. Amiruzzaman is the candidate of Islami Andolan Bangladesh (wing symbol) in the second position. He got 49 thousand 892 votes. Independent candidate (Awami League rebel) Latifur Rahman got 33 thousand 883 votes. Awami League candidate Hosne Ara Lutfa (Dalia) came fourth with 22 thousand 306 votes.
After winning, Mustafizar Rahman said in his response that this victory is not only for him, but for all the people of the city.
In this election, the voters had to suffer a lot to cast their votes in the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM). Earlier, the use of EVMs in various local government elections suffered, but it surpassed all ‘records’ in Rangpur on Tuesday. Due to complications in the EVMs, the polling went on till 8 pm, three and a half hours after the scheduled time.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal said that due to high voter turnout and fingerprints of many not matching, voting was slow. Yesterday afternoon at the end of the voting time (4:30 pm), the CEC told reporters at the election building in the capital that the Rangpur city election was very peaceful. Voter turnout was massive.
While the CEC was speaking to reporters, many voters were waiting to cast their votes in at least 30 polling stations in Rangpur.
In response to the questions of the journalists about the slowness, the CEC said, “The allegation of slowness is not false.” Now that I have seen the situation, many people are standing in line. It may take seven to eight hours to finish.
CEC is true. Voting ends at eight o’clock in the night.
In the 2017 elections of Rangpur City Corporation, only one polling station was polled using EVMs. And this time in all 1 thousand 349 booths of 229 centers, votes were accepted in EVMs.
Himshim Khan Officials responsible for verifying the National Identity Card (NID) in the EVM since the voting started at 8:30 am. Many voters did not have a clear idea about how to vote in EVMs. As a result, they entered the secret room and did not understand what to do.
Officials in charge of elections said that campaigning about EVMs has reduced. Because of this, the voters did not understand its use. They feel that further evaluation is needed before the device can be used on a large scale.
Govt. Begum Rokeya College and Rangpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry Public School and College (RCC College)—these two centers are seen around, many do not match the fingerprints. Officials are asking some to wash their hands with soap, recommending others to rub lemon.
Rubbing petroleum jelly to match the fingerprints of a person in his seventies named Nurul Islam in the polling booth number 2 of RCC College Male Center was not working. A voter who was waiting then said, “Come wash your hands.” If two hours are enough to cast one vote, it will not be enough to cast another vote.
