Acting AL President Abdus Samad Azad and its General Secretary Abdul Jalil in a joint statement said identified criminals of Dhaka with direct assistance of the police and the administration barred voters from casting votes freely.

The statement noted yesterday's by-polls would remain as a 'black chapter' in Bangladesh's democratic history.

The AL leaders alleged ruling BNP men with the backing of police captured 89 centres out of the 103 before the start of polls. "Polling agents of Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh candidate were driven out of the centres at gunpoint," the statement said.

"The prime minister unleashed a reign of terror through the administration, police and criminals to ensure victory of her candidate," the statement said, adding that the by-election was at best a 'farce'. It said the government violated the directive of the High Court order on deployment of army in each of the polling centres.

Leaders of Workers Party of Bangladesh also rejected the polls and urged the EC to take steps to hold fresh polls.

In a statement yesterday, party President Rashed Khan Menon and General Secretary Bimal Bishwas said the four-party alliance government has upset the country's democratic electoral process by rigging the vote, as people could not exercise their right to franchise. The statement observed people would reject the by-polls.

The Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and left-leaning 11-party alliance in separate statements also levelled allegations of rigging against the BNP-led coalition.

CPB President Manjurul Ahsan Khan and General Secretary Mujahidul Islam Selim said the alliance government snatched the people's right to vote and made the election a farce.

They urged people to launch a movement to bring about a radical change in the election process to put an end to the play of muscle power and black money in elections.

The 11-party alliance slammed the government for making a mockery of election. It said Dhaka-10 by-polls once again proved the BNP-Jamaat-led coalition government never hesitates to snatch people's democratic rights.

President of Jatiya Oikya Mancha (platform for national unity) and eminent lawyer Dr Kamal Hossain urged the EC to cancel the by-polls.

In a statement yesterday, he rejected the by-polls alleging widespread false votes casting and termed the vote a farce.

Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Inu) President Hasanul Haq Inu and General Secretary Syed Zafar Sajjad also rejected the by-polls and demanded a re-election in Dhaka-10 constituency.

"The government was determined to clinch the seat for its candidate and they applied all means to rig it, including forcibly capturing polling centres, casting fake votes, ousting the polling agents of Abdul Mannan and attacking him and fellow supporters," said the top JSD leaders in a joint statement.

Noor Alam Ziku and Abdul Malek, top leaders of another faction of the JSD, also termed yesterday's by-polls "a farce".

Abu Hamidur Reza, the candidate of National Awami Party (NAP-Bhasani) in the by-polls, sent a letter to the chief election commissioner demanding cancellation of the election and holding it afresh.

"The government has violated the High Court directive on deployment of army personnel in the polling centres just for rigging the polls." He added the ruling alliance adherents nakedly cast fake votes.

Awami Jubo League, youth front of the AL, took out a procession from its Bangabandhu Avenue office yesterday noon to protest against the 'rigging in the by-polls'.