Most voters in Dhaka rushed to polling stations and voted before noon yesterday under heightened security, with no significant incidents reported. This scenario was observed in two constituencies, where The Daily Star reporters monitored voting activities at Government Science College in Dhaka-12 and Motijheel Ideal School and College in Dhaka-8 from 7:00 am to 5:00 pm, closely following the voting process.
Supporters and agents of different candidates set up tables around 400 meters away from the polling centers to assist voters in finding their serial numbers. However, police and army personnel prevented anyone, including voters, from lingering near the premises.
At Government Science College in the Farmgate area of Dhaka-12, queues dwindled after 1:00 pm, leaving the center nearly empty. Post-lunch, voter turnout was sporadic, with only a few voters arriving every ten minutes. No one showed up after 3:30 pm, an hour before polls closed at 4:30 pm. The official turnout was 31.88 percent at Centre 1 and slightly better at 39.88 percent at Centre 2.
Similarly, at Motijheel Ideal School and College in Dhaka-8, the voting pattern mirrored that of Dhaka-12, with a steady flow in the morning, a quiet period around lunchtime, and a smaller queue thereafter. As the voting deadline approached at 4:30 pm, police used loudspeakers to encourage people to vote quickly. However, only six voters entered the center in the final ten minutes.
A situation arose at the Motijheel Ideal School and College center when Hosne Ara Begum, claiming to represent candidate Nasiruddin Patwari of the “Shapla Koli” party, encountered confusion as another person at the booth also claimed to be Patwari’s agent. After presenting her identity card, it was revealed that Hosne Ara was actually representing independent candidate Md Golam Sarwar. Patwari, who contested against BNP’s Mirza Abbas, later accused “dummy agents” of working for Abbas, a claim denied by other polling agents and the center in-charge.
The presiding officer confirmed that voting was conducted peacefully at the center, where Mirza Abbas provided meals to polling agents from various political parties as a goodwill gesture.