Here is a firsthand account of what went on during the vote at some of the centres:

FREESTYLE FAKE VOTE
He is an undergraduate student of Dhaka University and his name was not on the voters' list. Some activists of ruling BNP's student wing Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) gave him a voter slip and some others escorted him to the polling centre at Udayan High School.

He went there, showed the slip to the polling officer and got a ballot paper. He put the seal to the paper before the JCD men, dropped the paper in the ballot box and left the centre.

It was a fake vote, for he cast the vote of a genuine voter who completed his studies and no longer resides on the campus.

This was just one of the scores of fake votes cast at the Udayan High School polling centre at Dhaka University. Fake voters even cast vote more than once and none of them used the secret booths.

As many as 2,619 voters of the residential halls including Kabi Jasim Uddin Hall, Ziaur Rahman Hall, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall, Rokeya Hall and Faizunnesa Hall and house tutors and employees of these halls were on the electoral roll.

At 10:30am, a group of JCD leaders barred at least six voters from entering the centre and asked them to leave the area. The six men were students of different male residential halls and involved with the opposition Awami League's student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League.

"You need not waste your time… Your votes have been cast, have ice-cream and leave the place," a JCD leader told them.

After waiting for some time in front of the centre, Syed Abul Kalam of Jasim Uddin Hall and Mazharul Islam Manik of Ziaur Rahman Hall, the voters who could not even enter the school premises, left.

"Our strategy was quite simple. In the first hours of the day, we cast votes of those who are unlikely to cast for (ruling coalition candidate Mosaddak Ali) Falu bhai," acknowledged a JCD leader on condition of anonymity.

Asked how the first and second year students who are not on the voter list were casting votes, the JCD leader said, "We have identified the voters who have left the halls after completing their studies and also the Chhatra League men who are working for Kula (BDB) candidate Abdul Mannan's polls symbol). Freshers cast those students' votes."

Another JCD leader said, "The party hierarchy said we'd be held responsible if Falu bhai fails to get 80 percent of the votes in this centre."

At 1:00pm, when 1,472 votes had already been cast, the JCD men were preparing to go for lunch and asked their juniors to have a look at the list and find whose votes were yet to be cast.

Finding that the turnout of female voters at the centre was poor, a female JCD leader asked one of her activists to rush home and bring the domestic help. The JCD leader, who would not give her name when asked, left the area for some time.

Chaos ruled in all the five booths of the centre as at least 15 JCD men in each booth occupied chairs for polling agents posing as candidates. All five agents of the BDB candidate left the centre at 11:30am alleging "naked casting of fake votes".

A fake voter told The Daily Star on condition of anonymity, "The Chhatra Dal leaders asked me to cast vote of a senior student of my hall. I was asked to put the seal to ballot paper before them as they thought I may cast the vote against their candidate if I go inside the secret booth."

Humayun Kabir of room No. 515 of Jasim Uddin Hall, found at the centre that his vote has been cast. Similar news greeted Zillur Rahman and Milon Mahmud ex-residents of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall, who have left the campus after completing their studies.

An army jeep was stationed near the main entrance to the Salimullah Hall, about 100 yards off the polling centre.

Abul Kawser, presiding officer at the centre, brushed aside the allegation of fake votes and claimed the voting was going on in a free and fair manner.

OFFICIALS, COPS DRIVE BDB MEN AWAY
At exactly 8:40am a large crowd of men and women gathered at the Central Public Library polling centre. Voters queued up in front of the booths. But soon a group of people was found locked in an altercation with the polling officials.

Seven visibly angry young men, who identified themselves as polling agents of the BDB candidate, alleged they had been denied entry into the polling station.

The BDB polling agents said, when they arrived at the centre at around 7:40am and were going to show their identification, police simply pushed them out of the gate and asked them to buzz off.

"First, the officials refused to let us in and, when we protested, they called in police to evict us," alleged the team leader, Abdul Wadud. "When we went to the presiding officer, he too refused to let us in."

But the presiding officer, who by then had appeared at the scene, categorically denied the allegation, saying, " I have never refused entry to any of these polling agents."

The Daily Star however did not find any BDB polling agent anywhere on the public library campus.

BUS-FULL FAKE VOTERS HAD A FIELD DAY
At 11:00am at the Nazrul Shikshalaya polling centre on Tongi Diversion Road, some 500 supporters of Falu were seen cheering and showing victory signs to passers-by. In presence of some newsmen on duty, a group of cheering young men boarded an empty passenger coach parked by the road.

Several supporters of Falu told the reporters the bus had been hired for bringing voters to the centre.

Minutes before their departure, apparently for another centre, a man handed out several Tk 500 bills to one of the passengers. "We are heading for another centre to vote. They have promised good reward for our hard work," said one of the men in all smiles while boarding the bus.

Locals said earlier a local Awami League (AL) leader, Mosleh Uddin Ahmed, had been chased out of the centre.

Several polling agents at the centre complained of 'indiscriminate' casting of fake votes. At Booth No 2, a BDB polling agent claimed two fake voters were caught red-handed, one of whom was identified as Mezbahuddin Tanvir. Next-door Kula agent Arif said since the morning he and his colleagues had detected several fake voters, but they were too scared to protest.

GANDARIA RICKSHAWPULLER FORCED TO VOTE AT SHER-E-BANGLA NAGAR
At 12:10pm at the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar High School polling centre, The Daily Star correspondents found a ruling alliance polling agent carrying a cellphone set inside the centre, in clear violation of polling law. The presiding officer said he was not aware of any such offence and would take action if anyone was found to be doing so.

At this centre, three alleged fake voters were found in police custody. Talking to The Daily Star, one of them, a rickshaw-puller named Abul Kashem from Dhupkhola, Gandaria, claimed he was forced to line up as a voter.

"Early this morning, a fellow rickshaw-puller woke me up and compelled me to board a bus to come to this centre. I had no idea what was my assignment. When I came here, one of the leaders instructed me to impersonate one Kamal Hossain of West Hajipara and cast his vote," said Kashem.

The two others -- Khalilur Rahman and Humayun Kabir -- had similar tales to tell the newsmen.

Outside the centre, a military van with about eight troops was found on the vigil under Captain Sohel. "We are on patrol," the captain said.

NO BDB, NO SECURITY
The Central Public Library polling centre was almost devoid of voters in the afternoon. There was no security arrangement at the entrance. Anyone could enter the centre without being bothered by a question.

Several women were casting vote in the women's booth. One of them, Zahanara, came to vote without any number. When the polling officials asked her husband's name, she could not answer.

A number of polling agents were there but none on behalf of the BDB. The ruling coalition agent said the BDB agent left the place following Mannan's withdrawal of candidature.

On the other hand, at Udayan School centre, the Kula agent was asking the journalists whether her candidate had withdrawn or not. "I have heard my candidate was no longer contesting the polls. So I am confused what to do," she said in consternation. The centre was fully taken over by JCD activists.

Rehana Azad of Rokeya Hall was sitting on a chair outside a booth. She alleged she could not cast her vote as her vote had already been cast. "I feel so frustrated… I came here at 1:30pm," Rehana told The Daily Star.

Presiding officer of the centre Abul Kawsar however said he did not receive any allegation of fake voting. By that time, 1,472 out of total 2,619 voters under the centre had made their choice, the record said.

MANNAN'S WOMEN POLLING AGENTS FACE FURY
At 8:45 in the morning, a group of nine women polling agents representing Mannan faced the wrath of supporters of Falu.

The supporters of Falu pounced on the women molesting, assaulting, intimidating and finally preventing them from entering the Community Centre Ideal High School centre in Tejgaon.

Shahanara Rosy, Selina Akhter, Rina Begum and Shikha Chakrabarty, all in tears, said they felt humiliated and ashamed the way Falu's supporters treated them. "We're physically assaulted and molested by the supporters of the paddy sheaf when we tried to take charge as polling agents of Kula," Shikha told reporters in front of the centre.

At 9:30 the BDB female agents returned to the centre wearing badges of the 'Clock' symbol and posing as the 'Clock' candidate's agents to make way deceiving the BNP goons.

As they complained to newspersons and election observers about the incidents, local Ward Commissioner Jahangir Hossain appeared and accompanied them inside the polling centre.

Jahangir asked them to show their official documents of BDB polling agents and as soon as the helpless polling agents produced the papers, he handed those to a person, who immediately disappeared with all the papers. The commissioner minutes later also left the scene in a hurry before the aghast onlookers.

No army personnel was deployed at the polling centre. An army officer with his men in a jeep arrived at 10:45, said hello to on-duty police officer and departed.

Voters' presence at Tejgaon Polytechnic Institute and Community Centre Ideal High School centres was insignificant. Voters need not be lined up at these centres.

Sulaiman, self-proclaimed vice-president of Tejgaon Polytechnic Institute, was heard at 12:45 at the high school centre saying, "I'm tired of casting votes. So far I've cast more than 50 times."

Sulaiman was held by cops at around 9:45 in the morning but was released after intervention of Ward Commissioner Jahangir. "How dare you stop him! He'll come, if required, one hundred times," Jahangir shouted at the cops.

Jahangir in a white punjabi with a policeman carrying a stengun was found hopping from centre to centre ensuring with authority that all votes are cast in favour of Falu.

YOUTHS MEMORISE FATHERS' NAMES AT CENTRES
At 8:00am, hundreds of voters lined up at the gates of the schools, majority of them in their late teens to early thirties. A number of them arrived in microbuses and minibuses.

From the very beginning, 'voters' seemed confused as activists campaigning for Falu were openly giving them guidance on their 'supposed identities' and casting of vote.

"Tell me your name and your father's name," an activist asked a 'voter'. As the latter read out that from a voter-slip given by Falu's supporters, the activist happily said, "Okay, you are ready to cast your vote."

Many of the activists giving such lessons were identified as Jatiyatabadi Jubo Dal and BNP men from the city's Demra, Matuail, Jatrabari and Mugdapara areas.

When a reporter of The Daily Star asked a female voter her name and address, she hesitated and avoided a reply. Pressed to give her identity, she took out a chit from her purse, looked at it and said her name is Shamsun Nahar.

"My voter number is 556, but I do not know my address as I have just shifted to a new house," she said.

As police guarding the booths started questioning such suspicious voters at around 9:30am, supporters of Falu reproached them aggressively.

A man claiming to be a vice-president of city BNP whispered to the presiding officer to let 10 people enter a polling booth to cast votes, saying they are 'my men'. This reporter was standing right behind them at the time.

Polling agents for some parties, especially the ones having election symbols Rooster, Axe and Lantern, could not even name their candidates. Polling agents for 'Kula' seemed non-existent.

As the day progressed, more and more people were yelling out their grievances seeing their votes already cast.

"What is going on here? They (polling officers) say two people came to cast vote in my name," said Md Julhas, a voter.

At least 20 other voters at the centre narrated similar experience as a large number of people were seen going in and out of the polling booths to cast votes.

Asked, a female voter at the boys school centre reluctantly showed her thumb with several ink marks and then ran away.

This fake voter was later found to be acting as a polling agent at the centre. Asked about this,

the presiding officer said they were working as polling agents for the whole day.

When The Daily Star reporter traced a fake voter aged barely more than 14 and tried to take him to the presiding officer, supporters of Falu manhandled him.

The presiding officers at the centres said voter turnout was 'low'.

COALITION CALLS THE SHOTS
It was half to 12 noon. Four supporters of ruling alliance candidate approached a dozen of women standing in front of 25/C Indira Road and handed them papers with some vote numbers and voters' identities written on.

"For the next few minutes your name is Saima Begum and you are wife of Habibur Rahman," this correspondent overheard a supporter of the alliance candidate talking in a low voice to one woman. Following the dictates the woman who claimed herself as a garment worker tried to memorise the words.

The same way the other women were also given some names of voters, vote numbers and identities during the conversation that lasted for about five minutes. Shortly after the talk, all of them were ushered to booth No. 4 in Tejgaon College Centre to cast 'their' votes. No army personnel were deployed in the centre.

When The Daily Star tried to talk to the women, supporters of the ruling alliance candidate rushed to him and one of them said, "Don't ask them anything, please leave."

A few minutes later, one Shahanoor Begum (voter ID No. 165) was heard yelling at the polling agents, "You people know me, then how come another one cast my vote!" At this time, no polling agent for the BDB candidate was present in the polling booth.

While visiting the male booths at around 11:15am, The Daily Star found almost all the booths crowded with Falu's men.

"You came several times since morning, why are you here again? Go now, journalists are here," a Falu adherent was whispering to a youth, whose looks would easily belie that he has reached 18 years of age.

Inside the booth, a volume of 100 ballot papers was found exhausted and Assistant Presiding Officer Zafar Ahmed uttering, "I won't bring any more ballot paper."

Asked whether he was facing any problem, he said, "Can't you see what's going on here?"

Presiding Officer Emdad Hossain, however, found nothing unusual in the centre. "Everything is going alright. I don't see any problem and no polling agent or assisting presiding officer has complained about any irregularity," he continued.

A youth in the presiding officer's office wrote an application to the presiding officer for making an instant correction to his father's name to facilitate him to cast his vote.

Asked whether any rules allow anyone to write application sitting inside the presiding officer's office, Emdad Hossain ducked the query.

The Daily Star correspondent during his brief stay at Naznin High School-2 centre at East Rajabazar at around 8:45am found the assistant presiding officer telling Mohammad Mohsin (vote No. 3012), Abdur Rahman Khandaker (Vote No. 3042) and Manzoor Mian (vote No. 3031) that their votes have been cast beforehand.

At around 10:55am, Mobarak Hossain, a retired government official (vote No. 3277) and businessman Atiqur Rahman (vote No. 3307came) were coming out of Rajdhani High School centre-1 apparently annoyed as they just learnt that others have cast their votes.

At around midday, Tejgaon Science College premises was almost empty and Abdus Sobhan, the assistant presiding officer of polling booth number-1, was found having a nap.

Students of Dhaka College alleged over 400 students of residential halls were intimidated and forced to cast fake votes at Community Centre Ideal High School centre in North Begunbari during yesterday's by-poll.

"We were forced by Falu's men and top JCD leaders to cast votes impersonating as original voters of Begunbari neighbourhood," said one of the students who cast Md Sujan's (son of Syed Faruq) vote. He feared backlash and spoke to The Daily Star on condition that he not be named.