DHAKA, Feb 12 : With the Bangladesh polls coming to an end, the Dhaka 8 constituency was a flashpoint for heated rivalry that dominated the campaign period of the national election, with the polls pitting BNP-nominated candidate and party’s Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas, against the Jamaat-led 11-party alliance-nominee Nasiruddin Patwary.
Since the start of campaigning, both candidates have been taking potshots at each other, hurling accusations and partaking in barbed rhetoric, keeping the constituency at the centre of political discussion, with the verbal clash continuing well into voting hours.
Given the prominence of the candidates and the intensity of the campaign, the seat drew significant attention from media outlets and election observers. Voter turnout appeared to rise steadily from the morning into the afternoon, with supporters of various parties gathering outside polling stations.
BNP polling agents were visible at all centres, while representatives of other candidates were reportedly fewer in number.
Tensions escalated around 11:45 am when Patwary visited the Mirza Abbas Mohila College polling centre in Shahjahanpur. There, he alleged that polling agents representing his ‘Shapla Koli’ symbol had been prevented from entering the centre for nearly three hours.
He demanded that CCTV footage be reviewed to determine what had transpired during that period.
Patwary also levelled broader political allegations, suggesting collusion among rival forces, though he had no evidence to back his claims.
“We are hearing that the ‘Plough’ [Jatiyo Party] and the ‘Sheaf of Paddy’ [BNP] have merged into one,” he claimed.
“Behind the Plough stands the Awami League, and behind the AL stands India. Do you understand the game being played? Everywhere we go, we find that Plough, Sheaf of Paddy, and the AL have become indistinguishable from one another.”
Shortly after Patwary’s visit, Mirza Abbas arrived at the same centre to cast his vote. Responding to the allegations, Abbas dismissed the claims and said his opponent’s organisational weaknesses were not his responsibility.
“I cannot interfere with their opinions of others,” Abbas said. “They don’t even have polling agents; they haven’t been able to provide agents for many centres yet. If they cannot enter the polling centres, that is not my fault.”
While expressing confidence about his electoral prospects, Abbas also warned that he would not accept manipulated results; while maintaining cautious optimism, he said he would nonetheless protest if the vote was found to be engineered in any manner whatsoever.
The situation grew more volatile later when Patwary visited the Shahjahanpur Railway Government High School polling centre. A group of individuals reportedly surrounded him and chanted “Bhua Bhua” (phoney) slogans. The confrontation intensified, prompting army personnel deployed on election duty to intervene and escort him safely from the premises.
Following the incident, Patwary took to Facebook, alleging that vote rigging was taking place at the Railway High School centre with the backing of Mirza Abbas’s supporters. He claimed BNP activists had attacked him and his associates in the presence of law enforcement personnel.
At a subsequent press conference, Patwary condemned the incident and demanded an immediate investigation, as well as strengthened security arrangements for voters.
“BNP activists assaulted us and I was struck on the head in the presence of army personnel,” he alleged. “We lodged complaints with the army, which then escorted us to safety.”
As counting began, Dhaka-8 remained one of the most closely watched battlegrounds in the capital, with both camps signalling that the political contest was far from over, regardless of the final result.
(UNI)
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