Delwar Hossain, who was allegedly abducted and beaten by a rival candidate, has been declared the uncontested winner of the race for Singra Upazila Parishad chairman in Natore.
District Returning Officer Abdul Latif Sheikh declared Delwar as chairman after the allotment of election symbols among the candidates in the Upazila council polls on Tuesday.
Election Commission sources said that some six aspirants have been declared chairmen unopposed as there were no candidates against them in the first phase of the UZ polls slated for May 8.
EC sources said some 25 aspirants have so far been elected unopposed. Of them, six are chairmen, nine are vice chairmen and 10 are female vice chairmen.
Delwar is a resident of Parsaoil of Singra. Two candidates had previously submitted nomination papers for the post of the chairman in the Singra Upazila Parishad polls. The returning officer declared both the application of Delwar and that of his rival Lutful Habib Rubel valid after scrutiny.
Rubel is the joint general secretary of Awami League’s Singra Upazila unit and brother-in-law of local lawmaker and State Minister for ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak. He resigned from the chairman post of Sherkole Union Council to contest the Upazila Parishad polls.
A group of people picked up Delwar by a microbus from outside the District Election Officer’s office in Natore on Apr 15. They left the chairman candidate in front of his house several hours later.
Delwar’s family blamed Rubel for the abduction. Police said one of the two people arrested over the incident admitted to committing the crime on behalf of Rubel.
The EC summoned Rubel over the incident and the Upazila unit of the Awami League also ordered him to explain the situation.
Later on April 19, Palak visited Delwar at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital and offered an apology, asking Rubel to withdraw from the Upazila election race.
On Sunday, a day before the deadline for the withdrawal of nomination papers, Rubel stepped aside from the election. As a result Delwar, the only remaining candidate, was elected unopposed.
According to the EC sources, all the aspirants for the post of chairman, vice-chairman and female vice chairman of Bagerhat Sadar upazila, Munshiganj Sadar, Shibchar of Madaripur and Porshuram upazila of Feni have been elected unopposed.
The chairman aspirant of the Saghata upazila of Gaibandha was also elected chairman unopposed. Besides, the chairman hopeful of Rowanchhari upazila of Bandarban was also elected unopposed. But the EC on Tuesday postponed election in three upazilas of Bandarban due to the ongoing joint drive, being conducted to stamp out the Kuki Chin National Front, an armed insurgent group from the region.
The vice chairmen and female vice chairmen of Baliakandi upazila of Takhurgaon and Damurhuda upazila of Chuadanga were also elected unopposed.
The vice chairman aspirants of Sandweep in Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar Sadar, Kawkhali of Rangamati also elected unopposed.
The female vice chairman candidate in Kushtia Sadar upazila, Borolekha of Moulvibazar, Bera of Pabna and Hakimpur of Dinajpur also declared unopposed.