Eyewitnesses said Talukdar, also president of Baufal upazila BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party), and his supporters stormed the local Rural Development Board office where voting for election to the executive body of Rickshaw Sramik Samabaya Samity was in progress at around noon yesterday.

Sources said the ruling party men ousted all election agents and workers of Chandu Mia, the AL-supported president candidate, from the centre, and arranged for false voting in favour of Mokhlesur Rahman, the BNP-supported presidential candidate.

Shortly afterwards, ASM Firoz, former lawmaker and Baufal upazila AL president, rushed to the polling centre to protest illegal interference by the armed BNP men.

The ruling party cadres subsequently attacked Firoz and chased him away from the area.

The BNP lawmaker denied having been involved in the attack on Firoz and also rejected the allegation of interference in the election, saying he went to the polling centre only to ensure a peaceful, impartial and free election.

Chandu Mia, the AL-supported candidate, alleged that the BNP lawmaker did his best to manipulate the election in favour of the ruling party candidate. Chandu Mia also faxed a message to that effect to Patuakhali district administration.

The vote count was going on at the time of filing this report. The BNP candidate was in the lead.