By Mizan Rahman/Dhaka

Jatiya Party candidate AKM Salim Osman was unofficially declared elected in the Narayanganj-5 by-polls held yesterday. The poll was but marred by controversy.
According to unofficial result, Salim Osman bagged 82,322 votes in 140 centres, out of a total of 141, while his nearest independent candidate SM Akram polled 62,297. Akram is a former Awami League leader.
Voting in Char Srirampur in Bandar sub-district was suspended due to violence.
Earlier, voting in the parliamentary seat was held from 8am to 4pm amid allegations of vote rigging and ballot box-stuffing against Salim Osman.
Akram alleged that the supporters of Jatiya Party hopeful AKM Salim Osman cast fake votes and stuffed ballot boxes in many centres beforehand to manipulate the results.
Talking to reporters at Gano Bidya Niketon centre in the city around 12:45pm, he also said the followers of Salim Osman drove away his agents from some centres.
Meanwhile, the JP candidate denied the allegation.
The parliamentary seat fell vacant following the death of Jatiya Party MP Nasim Osman on April 29.
Four candidates were in the polls race with the two others are Krishak Sramik Janata League candidate Shafiqul Islam Delwar with ‘kerchief’ as election symbol and independent candidate Mamun Sirajul Majid with ‘shrimp’.
A total of 342,405 voters - 174,311 males and 168,094 females - were eligible to exercise their franchise at 674 booths in 141 polling stations in the by-polls.
A team of 18 security men, including four armed police members, guarded each normal polling station, while a 19-member team with five armed police members provided security to each vulnerable polling station.
Some 1,000 Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) members were deployed for the by-polls along with dog squad of Rab and its team of bomb disposal experts.
Alongside the regular law enforcing agencies, four platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were kept stationed in the election areas to maintain poll-friendly environment.
Over 4,500 members of BGB, Rapid Action Battalion, Armed Police Battalion, police, Ansar and Coast Guard were deployed in the constituency to maintain law and order.
Besides, four executive magistrates and two judicial magistrates were present to curb poll-related violence and breach of the election code of conduct in the constituency.
Earlier, on May 19, the Election Commission announced the by-election schedule for the constituency.
The ruling Awami League did not field any candidate in favour of the Jatiya Party.
The dual role of the Jatiya Party (JP), headed by former president HM Ershad, has triggered fierce debate amongst its party leaders.
An apparent contradiction in the Jatiya Party’s role as the main opposition in the parliament as well as its participation in the government caused a row among two JP presidium members.
The row came to the surface at a programme at the Diploma Engineers’ Institute hosted by the Jatiya Matsyajeebee Party (a front organisation for fishermen) and attended by Ershad’s younger brother GM Quader and Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu, the two presidium members of JP, and chairman HM Ershad. At the programme, an acrimonious speech by GM Quader castigating the government as well as his own party, outraged party presidium member and party secretary general, Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu, who left the podium, defying even Ershad’s requests.
Quader said the dual role of the Jatiya Party as the main opposition and as part of the government is “unconstitutional”. With reference to a football match, the leader said a football player could never play the dual role of a goalkeeper and a striker at the same time, holding one position on his own team and the other on the rival team.
He added, “You (JP) cannot play the role of a Uruguayan striker and an Italian goalkeeper at the same time.” The remarks made Ziauddin Ahmed Bablu see red and left, paying no heed to others’ requests.
Later, in his speech as the chief guest, JP Chairman HM Ershad admitted to infighting within the party.
He said: “We are in the opposition. I have advised (wife) Raushan Ershad to lead the party and to play the true role of the opposition.” He also described the Bangladesh Nationalist Party as aimless and said the Jatiya Party would replace the BNP in politics and rise to power.