Ivy wins huge margin NCC mayoral race

Awami League nominated mayoral candidate Selina Hayat Ivy has been unofficially declared as winner of the Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC) election for the third time.

The result is yet to be officially declared by the Election Commission (EC).

Ivy reportedly defeated his nearest rival, independent candidate Taimur Alam Khandaker, by a margin of 69,102 votes.

The AL backed candidate gained 1,61,273 votes and Taimur got 92,171 votes.

The voting started at 8am Sunday in 192 polling centres in 27 wards of the city and continued till 4pm without any break.

No untoward situation or clash was reported in any polling centre.

Earlier in the day, Election Commissioner Mahbub Talukdar termed NCC poll as one of best elections held under the commission expressing satisfaction.

According to EC Secretary Humayun Kabir Khandaker, it is estimated that 50% of the votes were cast in the election.

Returning Officer Mahfuza Akter will be announcing the official results from the temporary control room of the NCC Election Commission in front of the Deputy Commissioner's office.

No untoward situation or clash was reported in any polling centre.

However, many voters faced difficulties while using the electronic voting machines in a few polling centres.

Besides, people were seen violating health guidelines in the polling centres posing a risk of rising in Covid-19 infections.

The NCC, the seventh-largest city corporation in the country, was formed by merging old Narayanganj and Kadamrasul municipalities in 2011.

Selina Hayat Ivy, then AL rebel candidate, won that election, getting 65% of the total 180,048 votes.

Her rival, Awami League candidate Shameem Osman, got 78,705 votes, 28% of the total votes. BNP withdrew candidature for a strategic reason in the 2011 election, which went in favour of the 'rebel' candidate Ivy.

In the second election held in 2016, Ivy contested as the Awami League candidate and won the election with 174,602 votes. Her main rival lawyer Sakhawat Hossain got 96,700 votes.