Kushtia-1 By-Polls
Alliance candidate heads for victory
UNB, Dhaka
Reza Ahmed alias Bacchu Molla, ruling BNP candidate, is heading for a landslide victory in the by-election to Daulatpur constituency that fell vacant at the death of his father.Unofficial results showed Bacchu polled 81,587 votes in 71 centres of 101 while his nearest rival independent candidate Korban Ali trailed with 21,322 votes. Independent observers said the turnout of voters was poor in the absence of the main opposition, Awami League, which boycotted the polls apprehending large-scale rigging. Two candidates, Rezaul Haq of JSD and Korban Ali of BJP, withdrew from the race midway through the polling alleging widespread irregularities and rigging by the BNP candidate. They informed the assistant returning officer of boycotting the polls at 1:30pm. Korban said his agents were forced out of most polling centres. He termed the polling farce.
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