DNCC Returning Officer Gets 57 Written Complaints

The returning officer of Dhaka North City Corporation election has received 57 complaints of different irregularities from candidates since voting began in the morning.

A representative of BNP's Dhaka North city corporation mayoral candidate on Saturday filed 43 complaints with the respective office of the returning officer seeking necessary actions.

Julhas Uddin, who introduced himself as representative of Tabith, submitted the written complaints to Dhaka North City Corporation Returning Officer Abul Quasem at the returning officer's office at Electoral Training Institute in Agargaon.

Julhas later told reporters that the returning officer have assured of taking necessary initiative to address the complaints.

Meanwhile, Abul Quasem told reporters that the complaints filed by Tabith's representatives are not clear, rather were “random complaints.”

"They have complained that some EVM's do not have symbols of “sheaf of paddy," but I can challenge that there is no such EVM machines. It is a false and baseless allegation," he said.

When asked on driving out BNP agents from centres, the returning officer said he himself visited many centres where voting were ongoing peacefully.

"The BNP agents were absent at many centres, so there is no question for driving them out," he said.

Earlier in the day, Abul Quasem confirmed that 14 complaints of different irregularities from the candidates of the city corporation elections were received and resolved immediately.

"There are 1,318 polling centres under Dhaka North City Corporation and I have received 14 allegations in the jurisdiction areas which is less than 1%. I have resolved all of those," he said responding to journalists queries while visiting IES School and College polling centre in Uttara Sector-5 on Saturday.

The returning officer added that he spoke to the complainants over the phone and all of them expressed satisfaction after the issues were resolved.

Asked whether polling agents of mayoral and councillor candidates of BNP and other parties were being kicked out from the centres, the returning officer said he personally witnessed the presence of the agents of all candidates at the polling centres he had visited since morning.

"I have personally spoken to them. I did not find any centre where agents were not present. Although there are six mayoral candidates, polling agents of four candidates were found present in most centres," he said.

Regarding mismatch of fingerprint by biometric machines, he said the commission officials are taking written notes of the allegations.