JP CANDIDATE MOSTAFIZAR RAHMAN MOSTAFA’S LANDSLIDE VICTORY AT RCC POLLS

Jatiya Party mayoral candidate Mostafizar Rahman Mostafa won a crushing victory in the Rangpur City Corporation (RCC) election, which was held very peacefully on Thursday.

According to the unofficial results, Mostafa got 1,60,489 votes while his rival contestant Sharfuddin Ahmed Jhantu of Awami League bagged 62,400 votes.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party candidate Kawsar Zaman Babla got 35,136 votes in the partisan election.

Election Commission officials said 2,92,698 voters, out of total 4,00,000, cast their votes in the RCC election amid festive environment. The turnout was 75% percent.

The three mayoral candidates running the race with electoral symbols of their political parties cast their votes at different polling stations in the morning.

Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad exercised his franchise at Senpara Primary School polling centre at about 9:00am.

The election is a test for the Election Commission to prove its capability to hold the election in a free and fair manner, he told reporters after his voting in his hometown.

Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda expressed satisfaction over the election as there was no report of untoward incidents during the voting.

“We are satisfied with the overall situation in the election,” he told newsmen at a press briefing at the Election Commission.

After casting his vote, incumbent RCC mayor Jhantu said, “I have completed different development work in Rangpur during my tenure.  I hope people’s verdict will come in my favour.”

Mostafa said, “The people of Rangpur want to live in peace. The voting environment is peaceful.”

Babla alleged that his agents were resisted from entering many polling centres.

As a test run, Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) was used at Begum Rokeya Govt. College centre in ward 25 in the northern city.

The EVM voting was postponed for 20 minutes due to a technical fault. The turnout was 60.8 percent in the EVM polling centre.

Closed-circuit cameras were installed at polling stations to monitor the election uninterruptedly.

Seven candidates vied for the mayoral post while 211 candidates for councillors’ posts and 65 women for reserved councillors’ posts.

Jhantu won the maiden RCC election in 2012, defeating his rival Mostafa by 30,000 votes.