DHAKA: A total of 42 candidates including five mayoral contenders forfeited their security money as they did not get minimum number of votes fixed de jure in the city corporations polls that ended on April 28.

The five mayoral candidates are Mahi B Chowdhury, Zonaid Saki, Abdullah Al Kafee, Golam Maula Roni and Nader Chowdhury.

Election Commission (EC) deputy secretary M Shamsul Alam told banglanews that the candidates who would not get at least one-eighth of the total number of votes cast will loose their security money as per section 41 (3) of city corporation election rules.

A total of 874,058 voters cast their votes in the Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) election. Its one-eighth is 109,257 votes.

However, none but Annisul Huq and Tabith Awal among the 16 mayoral candidates of DNCC got more than 20,000 votes and as a result, 14 candidates including Abdullah Al Kafee (2,475), Nader Chowdhury (1,412), Mahi B Chowdhury (13,407) and Md Zonaid Abdur Rahim Saki (7,370) forfeited their security money.

The total turnout in Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) election was 905,484 and its one-eighth is 113,185 votes.

Only Sayeed Khokon and Mirza Abbas got more than one lakh votes and as a result, 18 mayoral candidates lost their security money.

Moreover, a total of 868,663 votes were cast in the Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) polls and its one-eighth is 108,583 votes.

None but AJM Nasir Uddin and M Manjur Alam got more than one-eighth votes. As a result, 10 other candidates lost their money.

As per election rules, mayoral candidates need to deposit Tk 50,000 if the number of voters is less than 2,000,000 and Tk 100,000 if the number is more than 2,000,000.

As a result, 14 candidates of DNCC will lose Tk 100,000 each while 18 DSCC and 10 CCC mayoral candidates will lose Tk 50,000 each.

BDST: 2121 HRS, APR 29, 2015
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