"It's true that troops were not stationed at every polling centre in accordance with the High Court (HC) directive. The court's order was violated," acting Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Safiur Rahman admitted at a press briefing at his office after the poll.

"I hope legal action will be taken against the persons responsible for the violation. The High Court will take legal action if the matter is brought to its cognisance," said the acting CEC.

To a query whether the EC would bring the matter to the HC's cognisance, Safiur replied it would be decided later.

The acting CEC had discussed and reviewed the election scenario with his fellow commissioners, AK Mohammad Ali and M Munsef Ali, before making the commission's observation on yesterday's by-poll public.

Turning down the Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh's (BDB's) demand for cancellation of the by-election, Safiur said the EC had not got any evidence of the alleged polling centre captures or stuffing of the ballot boxes. The election can not be annulled on the ground of absence of army and polling agents alone, he maintained.

"Besides, no-one has complained to me that he [or she] could not cast vote," Safiur added.

He said, "If the poll is postponed today, it'll not be possible to hold it within the constitutionally mandatory time, which ends on July 4."

On whether the poll was held in a 'free, fair and impartial' manner, Safiur said, "These are very weighty words.. I can only say the poll was not totally satisfactory."

After receiving various allegations since the morning, even when he was at home, Safiur made a surprise visit yesterday to inspect nine polling centres. He said he had tried several times to contact the home secretary but failed.

On his visit in the Tejgaon Industrial Area, Safiur remarked there had been no voters at the BG Press Government Primary School polling centre. The record showed, by the time he went there, around 50 percent votes had already been cast, he said, noting, "It seems, the casting was quite high."

On the absence of BDB candidate's polling agents, Safiur admitted agents for kula were absent in most of the polling centres he visited, adding, at Siddheshwari Girls High School, a BDB polling agent complained she had been asked to quit the centre.