Elderly woman unable to vote due to polling officer’s mistake; officer removed

An allegation has emerged in Ashulia (Dhaka-19) that an elderly woman was unable to cast her ballot due to an error by a polling officer.

Following the incident, the accused polling officer, Biparul Islam, was immediately withdrawn from duty, the presiding officer of the centre confirmed to The Business Standard.

The incident took place around 11:30am today (12 February) at the women's polling centre of Dosaid Adhanya Kumar School and College (Centre-1) in Ashulia.

Officials said the incident was the result of an inadvertent error rather than any irregularity. The assistant returning officer for Dhaka-19 and the presiding officer of the centre attributed the matter to a polling officer's oversight, adding that no evidence of wrongdoing was found.

Presiding Officer Md Siddiqur Rahman told The Business Standard that the error occurred when the polling officer inadvertently marked attendance against the wrong voter serial. 

As a result, when the elderly voter, identified as Jahanara Begum, arrived to vote, records showed that her ballot had already been marked as cast, making it impossible for her vote to be taken.

Following the incident, members of the army and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) visited the centre and conducted an on-site inquiry. Authorities later informed the upazila administration, and based on official advice, the polling officer was relieved of his responsibilities.

Rahman said the incident was purely accidental and insisted that no irregularities had occurred at the centre.

Savar Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Saiful Islam also confirmed the withdrawal of the officer, stating that while the complaint was taken seriously, no proof of electoral wrongdoing had been found.

According to centre officials, 988 voters had cast their ballots by noon out of a total of 3,133 registered voters.