CHATTOGRAM, Information and Broadcasting Minister and Awami League Joint General Secretary Dr Hasan Mahmud has been elected by a huge margin in Chattogram-7 (Ranguniya and some part of Boalkhali) in the 12th National Parliament election. He bagged 1,98,976 votes in the election and was elected for the fourth time as the Member of Parliament (MP) while his closest contestant Islami Front candidate Advocate Iqbal Hasan got only 8,767 votes. The percentage of voting in the constituency is 69.43 percent while the candidate of 'Boat' got more than 95 percent. Since morning, there were long queues of voters at the polling stations to exercise their franchise in a festive and peaceful manner. No untoward incident occurred anywhere in Ranguniya and Boalkhali upazilas. Polling agents and supporters of the candidates were well present in almost all the centers and there were long queues of voters outside the centres. Even, the persons (voters) with disabilities and old people also visited the polling centre to cast votes. There were also five rival candidates including Islami Front, Jatiya Party, Trinamul BNP, Islamic Front and Supreme Party against the Awami League candidate in the Chattogram-7 constituency. In fact, there were no heavyweight candidates against Awami League's candidate Dr Hasan. But, from the very beginning of the campaign, he showed surprises one after another, which was discussed nationwide. After getting the electoral symbol, Dr Hasan started campaigning by passing a river with a boat and riding bicycle like Bangabandhu. The next day, an exceptional rally with more than 300 vehicles across a 10-km road created quite a stir in the country. Later, he joined five public rallies and street rallies at every union and sought votes to go to people's doors. His activists and supporters also campaigned and visited every house of the two upazilas. From the morning of the polling day, it was seen that the election festival was going on in every polling centre. Every festival becomes worthwhile only when participation of all types of people is ensured. And such a festival was seen in Rangunia polling centers. In a polling centre, it was seen that a 62-year-old paraplegic named Pelen Barua was carried by two people to vote. When asked how he felt on the way to exercise his right to vote, he wept bitterly. He said, 'I was bedridden for three years. I thought I would never vote again in my life. But with the help of brothers and nephews in the area, I was able to vote and I gave the vote to our son in the boat symble. This is probably the last vote of my life.' Badiul Khayer Litan Chowdhury who was in duty of the centre said the voters came in the centre from morning and the voting was held peacefully and in a festive mood. Almost every center in Padua, the information minister's home union, saw a huge number of voters. Many people living in Dhaka-Chittagong said that they have went to participate in the voting festival in their villages. The presence of young voters from centenary Buddhist monks to young voters was noticeable in this union inhabited by various communities. Union Awami League General Secretary Badiuzzaman Badi said that about 80 percent of voters were present in this union and about 98 percent of people voted to 'boat' symbol. The information minister cast his vote at Sukhbilas High School center of this union around 10:30 am. Later, he exchanged greetings with voters in various centers of North Rangunia including Padua, Shilak, Sarafbhata, Rangunia Municipalities. Jatiya Party candidate Musa Ahmed Rana said no one obstructed the sitting of the agent. Voting was going on in fair environment. Trinamul BNP candidate Khorshed Alam said the vote was held in a peaceful environment. Jatiya Party candidate Musa Ahmed Rana bagged 2,308 votes, Trinamul BNP candidate Khorshed Alam got 1,331 votes, Islamic Front candidate Ahmed Reza got 1,390 votes and Supreme Party candidate Morshed Alam bagged 1,130 votes from the parliamentary seat in the 12th Jatiya Sangsad polls. Assistant Returning Officer and Ranguniya Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Raihan Mehebub announced the results at 9 pm last night.
Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha