2021 Chattogram City Corporation election

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2021 Chattogram City Corporation election
Flag of Bangladesh.svg
←  2015 27 January 20212026 →
Registered19,38,706
Turnout22.52%(Decrease2.svg25.38pp)
Mayoral election
27 January 2021
  Rezaul Karim Chowdhury.jpeg Dr. Shahadat Hossain (Mayor) (cropped).jpg
Nominee Rezaul Karim Chowdhury Dr. Shahadat Hossain
Party AL BNP
Popular vote3,69,24852,489
Percentage84.79%12.05%
Mayor before election

A. J. M. Nasir Uddin
AL

Elected Mayor

Rezaul Karim Chowdhury
AL

Council election
27 January 2021
55 seats in the Chattogram City Corporation [a]
28 February 2021 (Re-election in 1 seat)
PartyLeaderSeats+/–
AL Rezaul Karim Chowdhury 42−4
BNP Dr. Shahadat Hossain 0−7
Jamaat-e-Islami —0−2
Independent —13+13
This lists parties that won seats. See the complete results below.

The 2021 Chattogram City Corporation election was a local government election in the city of Chattogram, Bangladesh, held on 27 January 2021 to elect the Mayor of Chittagong and the Chittagong City Council. [1] [2] [3] This election was marred by violence and it was not seen as a free, fair and credible election. Later in 2024, after ruling Awami League regime fell, vote rigging by Awami League was confirmed in this election.

Contents

Background

The Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) is the governing body responsible for the administration of Chattogram, the second-largest city in Bangladesh. [4] The term of the previous mayor, A. J. M. Nasir Uddin, elected in 2015, ended in 2020. [5] The election was originally scheduled to take place in March 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. [6]

Candidates

The election was mainly contested between candidates of the two major political parties in Bangladesh:

List of mayoral candidates
PartyFlagSymbolCandidates
Bangladesh Awami League baaNlaadesh aaoy'aamii liiger ptaakaa.svg baaNlaadesh aaoy'aamii liiger prtiik.svg Rezaul Karim Chowdhury
Bangladesh Nationalist Party Flag of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.svg Bangladesh Nationalist Party election symbol Black & White.svg Dr. Shahadat Hossain

Other minor candidates from smaller parties and independent candidates also participated.

List of councillor candidates
Ward Awami League BNP
#NamePartyCandidatePartyCandidate
1 South Pahartali AL Gazi Md. Shafiul Azim BNP Sirajul Islam Rashed
2 Jalalabad AL Mohammad Ibrahim BNP Md. Yakub Chowdhury
3 Panchlaish AL Kofil Uddin Khan BNP Mohammad Elias
4 Chandgaon AL Md. Saifuddin Khaled BNP Mahabubul Alam
5 Mohra AL Mohammad Kazi Nurul Amin BNP Mohammad Azam
6 East Sholashahar AL M Ashraful Alam BNP Hasan Liton
7 West Sholashahar AL Md. Mobarak Ali BNP Iskandar Mirza
8 Sholokbahar AL Md. Morshed Alam BNP Hasan Chowdhury
9 North Pahartali AL Nurul Absar Mia BNP Abdus Sattar Salim
10 North Kattali AL Nishar Uddin Ahmed BNP Rafiq Uddin Chowdhury
11 South Kattali AL Mohammad Ismail BNP Sohrab Hossain Chowdhury
12 Saraipara AL Md. Nurul Amin BNP Shamsul Alam
13 Pahartali AL Md. Wasim Uddin Chowdhury BNP Jahangir Alam Dulal
14 Lalkhan Bazar AL Abul Hasnat Md. Belal BNP Abdul Halim
15 Bagmaniram AL Mohammad Gias Uddin BNP Chowdhury Saifuddin Rashed Siddiqui
16 Chawkbazar AL Syed Golam Haider Mintu BNP AKM Salahuddin Kausar Labu
17 West Bakalia AL Mohammad Shahidul Alam BNP AKM Ariful Islam
18 East Bakalia AL Mohammad Harun or Rashid BNP Mohammad Mohiuddin
19 South Bakalia AL Md. Nurul Alam BNP Yasin Chowdhury
20 Dewan Bazar AL Chowdhury Hasan Mahmud Hasni BNP Hafizul Islam Majumdar Milon
21 Jamal khan AL Shaibal Das Sumon BNP Abu Md. Mohsin Chowdhury
22 Enayet Bazar AL Mohammad Salim Ullah BNP M.A. Malek
23 North Pathantooly AL Mohammad Javed BNP Mohammad Mohsin
24 North Agrabad AL Nazmul Haque Duke BNP SM Faridul Alam
25 Rampur AL Abdus Sabur Liton BNP Shahid Md. Chowdhury
26 North Halishahar AL Mohammad Hossain BNP Md. Abul Hashem
27 South Agrabad AL Md. Sheikh Zafrul Haider Chowdhury BNP Mohammad Sekandar
28 Pathantooly AL Nazrul Islam Bahadur BNP SM Jamal Uddin Jasim
29 West Madarbari AL Golam Mohammad Zobair BNP Md. Salah Uddin
30 East Madarbari AL Ataullah Chowdhury BNP Habibur Rahman
31 Alkaran AL Md. Abdus Salam BNP Didarur Rahman Labu
32 Andarkilla AL Jahar Lal Hazari BNP Syed Abul Basar
33 Firingee Bazar AL Mohammad Salahuddin BNP Aktar Khan
34 Patharghata AL Pulak Khastagir BNP Ismail Bali
35 Boxirhat AL Haji Nurul Haque BNP Advocate Tariq Ahmad
36 Gosaildanga AL Jahangir Alam Chowdhury BNP Mohammad Harun (Doc)
37 North Middle Halishahar AL Md. Hossain Murad BNP Mohammad Osman
38 South Middle Halishahar AL Golam Md. Chowdhury BNP Hanif Saudagar
39 South Halishahar AL Ziaul Haque Sumon BNP Sarfraz Quader
40 North Patenga AL Abdul Barek BNP Mohammad Harun
41 South Patenga AL Saleh Ahmad Chowdhury BNP Md. Nurul Afshar
Reserved Women’s Councillor
42Reserved women's seat-1 AL Syeda Kashpia Nahrin, BNP Roksana Begum
43Reserved women's seat-2 AL Zobaira Nargis Khan BNP Shahenewaz Chowdhury Minu
44Reserved women's seat-3 AL Zohra Begum BNP Jinnatun Nesha Jinu
45Reserved women's seat-4 AL Tashlima Begum Nurjahan BNP Sakina Begum
46Reserved women's seat-5 AL Shiuli Dey BNP Monoara Begum Moni
47Reserved women's seat-6 AL Shaheen Akhtar Rozi BNP Mahmuda Sultana Jharna
48Reserved women's seat-7 AL Rumki Sengupta BNP Advocate Parveen Akhter Chowdhury
49Reserved women's seat-8 AL Neelu Nag BNP Arjun Nahar Manna
50Reserved women's seat-9 AL Noor Akhtar Prama BNP Khaleda Borhan
51Reserved women's seat-10 AL Hoore Ara Begum BNP Jasmina Khanom
52Reserved women's seat-11 AL Jinnat Ara Begum BNP Kamrun Nahar Liza
53Reserved women's seat-12 AL Afroza Zahoor BNP Sahida Khanom
54Reserved women's seat-13 AL Lutfunnesa Dobash Baby BNP Monoara Begum
55Reserved women's seat-14 AL Shahanur Begum BNP Zahida Hossain

Electoral Process

The election was conducted using electronic voting machines (EVMs) in all 735 polling stations in the city. [7] Around 1.92 million voters were registered to cast their vote. [8] This was one of the first large-scale uses of EVMs in local elections in Bangladesh, a move that was both praised and criticized by various political parties. [9]

Mayoral election results

The results were announced later in the evening on January 27, 2021. [10] Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, the Awami League candidate, won the mayoral race by a wide margin, receiving approximately 369,248 votes, [11] while Shahadat Hossain of the BNP garnered 52,489 votes. [12]

Rezaul Karim Chowdhury succeeded A. J. M. Nasir Uddin as mayor of Chattogram. [13] The Awami League also secured the majority of the councilor positions in the 41 wards of the Chattogram City Corporation. [14]

CandidatePartyVotes%
Rezaul Karim Chowdhury Bangladesh Awami League 369,24884.79
Dr. Shahadat Hossain Bangladesh Nationalist Party 52,48912.05
Md. Jannatul Islam Islami Andolan Bangladesh 4,9801.14
Abul Manzoor National People's Party 4,6531.07
M A Matin Bangladesh Islami Front 2,1260.49
Muhammad Waheed Murad Islamic Front Bangladesh 1,1090.25
Khokon ChowdhuryIndependent8850.20
Total435,490100.00
Valid votes435,49099.76
Invalid/blank votes1,0530.24
Total votes436,543100.00
Registered voters/turnout1,938,70622.52
Source:

Council election results

Party-wise

2021 CCC council election results (party-wise)
Chattogram City Council election 2021.svg
PartyLeaderCouncilor contested seatsCouncilor elected in SeatsWard CouncilorsReserved Women Councilors
Bangladesh Awami League Rezaul Karim Chowdhury 55
42 / 55
339
Independent unknown
13 / 55
85
Total554114

Violence

The election day was marked by reports of violence in multiple wards across the city. Several clashes were reported between supporters of the ruling Awami League and the opposition BNP. [15] In one such incident, a polling agent of a BNP-backed councilor candidate was killed, prompting further criticism of the law enforcement agencies and the fairness of the electoral process. [16]

According to local media reports, around 20 people were injured in election-related violence, [17] and allegations of vote rigging and irregularities were rampant. [18] Despite these issues, the Election Commission of Bangladesh declared the election successful and largely peaceful. [19]

Aftermath and Reactions

After the Chattogram City Corporation Election of 2021, reactions were deeply divided. The ruling party, the Awami League (AL), celebrated the victory of their candidate, Rezaul Karim Chowdhury. [20] They claimed that the election had been conducted fairly and that the result represented the will of the people of Chattogram. Rezaul Karim, in his post-election statements, promised to continue the development projects started by the previous mayor, A. J. M. Nasir Uddin. [21]

On the other hand, the opposition, particularly the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), rejected the election results outright. They accused the Awami League of voter suppression, vote rigging, and using law enforcement to intimidate opposition supporters. [22] Shahadat Hossain, the BNP candidate, demanded an investigation into the alleged irregularities and called for the election results to be annulled. [23] The BNP also organized protests, claiming that the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) had made it easier to manipulate the results in favor of the ruling party. [24] Shahadat Hossain's call for investigation was rejected and Rezaul Karim Chowdhury was sworn in as the 6th Mayor of Chattogram City Corporation on 11th February 2021. [25] Rezaul Karim couldn't fulfill his term as Sheikh Hasina's regime fell in 2024 amid mass protests. [26] On 19th August, Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, along with the mayors of other city corporations, was removed from his position and replaced by the Divisional Commissioners. [27]

Notes

  1. ↑ Of the total 54 seats, one was won uncontested.

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References

  1. ↑ "Chattogram City Polls Jan 27". New Age. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  2. ↑ "Rezaul Karim Elected Chittagong City Mayor". Dhaka Tribune. January 28, 2021.
  3. ↑ "Rezaul Karim Chowdhury wins CCC Mayoral polls". Dhaka Tribune. January 28, 2021.
  4. ↑ "Chattogram City Corporation: Overview". Chattogram City Corporation. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
  5. ↑ "A. J. M. Nasir Uddin's Tenure Comes to an End". The Daily Star. 2020-12-31.
  6. ↑ "Chattogram City Election Postponed Amid COVID-19 Fears". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
  7. ↑ "Chattogram City Corporation Election: EVMs Used in All Polling Stations". bdnews24. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
  8. ↑ "1.92 Million Registered Voters for Chattogram City Corporation Election". The Daily Star. 2021-01-27.
  9. ↑ "First Large-Scale Use of EVMs in Bangladesh Local Elections". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
  10. ↑ "Chattogram City Corporation Election Results Announced". The Daily Star. 2021-01-27.
  11. ↑ "Rezaul Karim Chowdhury Wins Chattogram Mayor Election". The Dhaka Tribune. 2021-01-27. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
  12. ↑ "Shahadat Hossain Receives 52,489 Votes in Chattogram Election". BDNews24. 2021-01-27. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
  13. ↑ "Rezaul Karim Chowdhury Succeeds Nasir Uddin as Chattogram Mayor". New Age. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
  14. ↑ "Awami League Wins Majority of Councilor Positions in Chattogram". The Financial Express. 2021-01-27.
  15. ↑ "Violence Erupts During Chattogram City Corporation Election". The Daily Star. 2021-01-27.
  16. ↑ "BNP Polling Agent Killed in Election Violence". Dhaka Tribune. 2021-01-27.
  17. ↑ "20 Injured in Chattogram City Election Violence". BDNews24. 2021-01-27.
  18. ↑ "Allegations of Vote Rigging in Chattogram City Election". The Financial Express. 2021-01-27.
  19. ↑ "Election Commission Declares Chattogram City Election Successful". The Daily Star. 2021-01-27.
  20. ↑ "Awami League Celebrates Rezaul Karim Chowdhury's Victory". The Daily Star. 2021-02-01.
  21. ↑ "Rezaul Karim Chowdhury Promises Continuation of Development Projects". Dhaka Tribune. 2021-02-01.
  22. ↑ "BNP Rejects Chattogram Election Results, Accuses Awami League of Irregularities". The Financial Express. 2021-01-28.
  23. ↑ "BNP Demands Investigation Into Election Irregularities". The Daily Star. 2021-01-28.
  24. ↑ "BNP Protests Against EVMs and Election Results". Dhaka Tribune. 2021-01-29.
  25. ↑ "Rezaul Karim Chowdhury Sworn In as Mayor". The Daily Star. 2021-02-11.
  26. ↑ "Sheikh Hasina's Regime Falls Amid Mass Protests". The Financial Express. 2024-08-20.
  27. ↑ "Bangladesh appoints administrators to lead 12 city corporations". BDNews24(Not reliable and ad of women). 2024-08-19.
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