AL candidate quits race

A ruling Awami League union parishad chairman candidate in Barisal's Mehendiganj upazila yesterday boycotted the election, bringing allegations against the AL rebel candidate of capturing polling stations, stuffing ballots and driving away his agents. 

Abdul Kader, the AL-nominated candidate in Dori Charkhajuria union, alleged that the AL rebel aspirant, Mostafa Bari, with the blessing of local AL MP Pankaj Devnath occupied most of the polling centres and drove away his polling agents from there in the first hour of voting, reports our Barisal correspondent.

Kader told The Daily Star that he filed a complaint with the Election Commission around 9:30am, but the EC did not pay any heed. 

Around 10:00am, the AL candidate announced his boycott of the polls.

When asked, Pankaj denied the allegation of interfering .

"The Awami League candidate [Kader] may have his own problem for which he has boycotted the election. I am not involved in the politics of the union parishad, which is in a remote char area."

The rebel candidate, Mostafa Bari, couldn't be contacted for comment.