MP Bahauddin was not ordered to leave Cumilla: CEC

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal today clarified that Awami League MP of Cumilla-6 constituency AKM Bahauddin was requested, not ordered to leave Cumilla ahead of city corporation polls.

"We did not see him taking part in any campaign for the AL-backed candidate but some claimed that he campaigned secretly. So, we hoped that requesting him to refrain from such activities would solve the issue," the CEC made the statement during a post-election view exchange meeting with reporters in Dhaka on Monday.

"However, the news was spread that despite ordering the MP to leave the city the election commission could not compel him to do so, which is not completely true," he added.

Kazi Habibul Awal further said that the allegation against Cumilla City Corporation changing the results of city polls over a phone call is nothing but a rumour.

When asked if the chaos created while announcing the results will tarnish the reputation of the election commission, the CEC replied, "We observed the election till 8pm and did not see any commotion.  We were observing the overall situation through CCTVs."

"A rumour is being spread that the results were changed based on a phone call, which is impossible. I also made one or two phone calls. One of the returning officers called me in a dire state and said 'I am in danger'. There was so much noise around him I thought he was being attacked," he added.

"I then called the DC, SP who said they were looking into the matter following which I assured the returning officer that there would be no problem. He later said police had arrived and dispersed the crowd. The chaotic incident lasted only 15 minutes or at most 20 minutes. Then we saw that he

Kazi Habibul Awal said, "Once one person said the phone call changed the results, thousands of people started saying the same. It is our country's culture. It is nothing but a rumour".

"We have posted the results of the voting done through EVM or ballot on our website", he added.

Awami League candidate Arfanul Haque Rifat won the Comilla City Corporation mayoral polls on 15 June, defeating the immediate past mayor Monirul Haque Sakku by 343 votes.

Arfanul Haque Rifat bagged 50,310 votes while his rival Monirul Haque Sakku got 49,967 votes in the polls that turned into a neck and neck race during the last minute of counting.

Sakku, the expelled BNP leader who won the last two elections by huge margins, claimed the results were rigged, and said he would challenge it in the High Court.