Khalek wins Khulna City Corporation polls

Awami League mayor candidate Talukder Abdul Khaleque has won big in yesterday's Khulna City Corporation polls, marred by irregularities such as heavy showdown by the ruling party in and around polling stations, ballot stuffing and driving out polling agents of rival group.

As of 2:30am today, results from all the 286 polling centres show Khaleque got 1,74,851 votes while his rival from the BNP Nazrul Islam Monju bagged 1,09,251 votes, according to the unofficial results announced by Returning Officer Yunus Ali.

Voters' turnout was 62.19 percent, Yunus said.

With this wins, Khaleque, who resigned as an MP to contest the polls, has sweep back as the city mayor for a second time. In the last polls in 2013, the AL leader lost to BNP-backed candidate Moniruzzaman Moni, the incumbent mayor.

In the 2008 polls during the emergency rule, Khaleque won the mayor polls in Khulna city, considered a BNP stronghold. BNP leaders won three of the four mayoral polls there since the first election in 1994.

Soon after the voting ended, Monju alleged of "huge rigging" at 101 centres and demanded re-election there.

He made the call when Returning Officer Yunus Ali was announcing the unofficial results from the control room at Divisional Women's Sport Complex in the city's Sonadanga area.

Khaleque thanked the prime minister for his victory. "I will work for the development of the city people and resume the unfinished jobs on a priority basis."

Source: thedailystar