Ctg-10 by-polls: Deserted polling centres turn to mosque loudspeakers in desperate attempt to draw voters

When polling centres appeared deserted all morning during the Chattogram-10 by-polls, authorities resorted to one final means to an end: using loudspeakers of nearby mosques to call in voters. 

"Dear esteemed residents, we humbly request your presence and encourage you to exercise your invaluable right to vote at the designated polling centers," a persistent voice called out to passersby, blaring from loudspeakers of the Badurtala Jangi Shah Mazar Mosque under Panchlaish police station of the city on Sunday around 10:30am.

The distance from the mosque to the polling station in Renaissance School and College is less than half a kilometre. But despite that only 106 voters voted in that centre till two in the afternoon.

The presiding officer of the centre, Mohammad Waliullah told The Business Standard, "The number of voters in the centre is 3,705. But attendance is very low. Seventeen people voted till 10am. Then we opted to call people to come to vote using the mosque mic. It is now 2 o'clock; 106 people have voted. We told those who were crowding inside the centre to bring voters instead."

Imam Abdur Rahman of the Jangi Shah Mazar Mosque told TBS, "Yesterday and today, I called on the voters to go to the voter centre on the mosque's mic because of the mosque committee's request."

Voter turnout was relatively low in most of the polling stations in the city, not only Renaissance School and College Centre. 

247 people cast their votes in center number 16 of Chittagong Nasirabad Government Boys High School till two o'clock in the afternoon. The number of voters in this centre is 3,166. Similarly, 299 people voted till 2pm at Nasirabad Government Primary School Centre. The number of voters in this centre is 2,689.

Six candidates are competing for the Chattogram-10 parliamentary seat, while the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has chosen not to participate in the by-election.

The participants are Awami L-nominated Mohiuddin Bacchu, Jatiya Party candidate Md Samsul Alam, Trinamool BNP candidate Deepak Kumar Palit, Rashid Mia of Bangladesh Cultural Liberation Alliance, independent candidate Manjurul Islam Bhuiyan and Md Arman Ali.

According to the Chattogram Regional Electoral Officer's office, 8 executive magistrates and 2 judicial magistrates have been assigned the responsibility of maintaining law and order in the electoral area and providing legal instructions to the law enforcement forces including mobile and striking forces.

In general centres, 16 to 17 policemen and Ansars are on duty, while important centres have 17 to 18 police-Ansars on duty to ensure a smooth voting process and security during the by-election.

The Chattogram-10 seat fell vacant following the death of the Awami League's Afsarul Ameen on 2 June.