Jamaat candidate withdraws from Sherpur-3 by-polls alleging fraud

The Jamaat-e-Islami candidate for the Sherpur-3 by-election withdrew from the race during vote casting on Thursday, alleging intimidation and fraud tactics by the ruling party candidate.

Md Masudur Rahman announced his withdrawal at a press conference held at the party office at Sribardi upazila around 3pm.

He alleged that his agents were forcible evicted from numerous polling centres, and party activists were violently attacked in at least three polling centres after reporting fraud vote casting.

Jamaat activists were beaten up in many other areas after voting began, he added.

Presiding officers and law enforcement personnel took no action after fraud vote casting was reported at multiple polling centres, Masudur further said.

Masudur himself caught red-handed fraud voters at multiple polling centres and handed them over to the concerned presiding officers, but no appropriate action was taken, he told reporters at the press conference.