The polling atmosphere was eerily festive. Almost too peaceful to be real.

Posters of the candidates flooded every nook and cranny of the capital. The candidates’ supporters with identity cards dangling from their necks were outside the polling centres. Security forces patrolled the streets though peace prevailed.

Yet, an astonishingly poor number of voters turned up at the polling stations in the high-voltage Dhaka city polls, dampening the spirit that is common in an election in the country.

Besides, polling agents and supporters who thronged the voting centres all belonged to the candidates nominated by the Awami League.

The Daily Star correspondents could hardly spot polling agents or supporters of the BNP candidates at the polling centres. It was as if an invisible force made them disappear on the election day.


Early results show the two AL mayor aspirants were leading the polls.

AL candidate for the DSCC Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh bagged 399,695 votes trailed by BNP’s Ishraque Hossain with 219,027 votes, show unofficial results from 1,075 of the 1,150 polling stations in Dhaka south.

In the DNCC, AL candidate Atiqul Islam secured 235,354 votes while BNP’s Tabith Awal got 146,355, according to unofficial results from 739 out of the 1,318 centres in Dhaka north.