Staff Reporter
Rtnn: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal on Saturday said that the elections to Mymensingh and Comilla city corporations were held in a free, fair and peaceful manner barring some untoward incidents. 

 There is no allegation that there was any interference in the election,” he said after the voting ended on Saturday.

The Election Commission has estimated that the voter turnout in both cities could be around 50%.

General elections were held for all positions in Mymensingh and a by-election for the mayor's position in Comilla City.

The CEC said: "The elections started at 8am and ended peacefully. There were a few unpleasant incidents in some places. Some 53 individuals were arrested in 18 unpleasant incidents. There were a couple of significant incidents in Comilla.

"The election was free, impartial, and peaceful. We have not yet received any complaints that there was any influence or intervention. In Comilla, there was shooting and stabbing outside a centre. However, the voting inside the centre was not affected," Kazi Habibul Awal said.

Election Commissioner Md Anisur Rahman said: "The voting was peaceful. In Comilla, every candidate has exerted more or less strength (Muscle power). There have been incidents of obstruction in going to the polling station. There have been incidents of shootings and stabbings.

 Law enforcement was directed to arrest those involved. We asked them to arrest whoever is found involved. Later, law enforcement took control of the situation, and we have not received any more complaints,” he said.

The election commissioner informed that as of 3pm in Comilla, about 35% of votes were cast for the mayor's position, which is expected to increase after the final count at 4pm.

Election Commissioner Md Alamgir said: “As of 3:30pm, the voter turnout in the Mymensingh City Corporation election for the mayor's position was 49%. We wanted a peaceful and fair election. The incidents that happened outside the polling stations are common in the context of Bangladesh. Compared to that, it's negligible. Overall, we can say the voting was peaceful."

Election Commissioner Ahsan Habib Khan said the vote percentage in Amtali Municipality of Barguna and Patuakhali may be around 60% and more than 50%, respectively.

Regarding the municipal elections, he said: "The elections here were conducted peacefully. The expected beautiful, free, and fair elections occurred in a festive atmosphere.”