Dhaka: A renegade ruling Awami League leader
won a landslide victory in a crucial mayoral election
defeating her compatriot in the party as the poll dominated
the county's political centre stage for the past several
weeks.
"Dr Selina Hayat Ivy has won the Narayanganj City
Corporation elections," an election commission spokesman
announced late last night declaring the unofficial results of
the election.
The election was boycotted at the last minute by main
opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
The polls exposed the commission and the government to a
visible confrontational state as authorities declined to
deploy army ignoring the independent constitutional body's
requisition for troops to ensure security.
An angry chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda last
night told the media that the commission could stage the
elections smoothly but it took "seriously" the issue of
government defiance of its request to call out army troops and
decided to demand an explanation on the matter.
Ivy, a 45-year old doctor educated in Russia, bagged 65
per cent votes while her rival Shamim Osman got 29 per cent in
the first ever polls in the newly declared city corporation in
the river port town of Narayanganj, which previously had the
status of an ordinary municipality.
Fifty one year Osman, who was widely criticised for
allegedly patronising political hooliganism angrily refused
the poll results saying police and the local administration
manipulated the elections saying "police was completely and
completely biased... being a ruling party man my hands were
tied."
The Awami League was quick enough to congratulate Ivy with
party general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam and local
government minister Syed Ashraful Islam saying "I warmly
congratulate her... the local government ministry will extend
her all required supports?.
Opposition's parliamentary chief whip and BNP leader
Joynal Abdin Farroque also in a television reaction
congratulated Ivy saying her victory was reflection of her
personal popularity and peoples attitude against the
government.
BNP earlier pulled out its candidate from a crucial
mayoral election seven hours ahead of the start of the voting
after the government declined to deploy army to ensure poll
security, defying the election commission requisition.
PTI
First Published: Monday, October 31, 2011, 12:34