LIVE: Battle for Gazipur

8:00am: Voting begins across 425 polling centres to elect mayor and councilors of Gazipur City Corporation

A woman is seen casting her vote at 56 No. Maju Khan Govt Primary School polling centre during the Gazipur city polls on Tuesday, June 26, 2018. Photo: Palash Khan

8:15am: No reports of violence filed so far

8:30am: Long queues of voters found at several voting centres

8:45am: We find 95-year-old Kanchan Mala who has cast her vote at Baipail Govt Primary School

READ MORE: 'Many BNP agents beaten, driven out of polling centres'

9:00am: Our correspondent visits Bapalipara Govt Primary School, finds no voters nor any BNP agent

9:30am: Long queue seen at Salna Govt Primary School

10:00am: Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) being tested out Rani Bilash Moni government High School

10:30am: BNP alleges, voter list snatched from them at Madinatul Ulum Senior Madrassa polling centre at Gazipur Sadar

11:12am: Md. Zahid Ahsan Russel, MP of Gazipur-2 constituency, casts vote at MA Abdul Mojid High School

Md. Zahid Ahsan Russel, MP of Gazipur-2 constituency, standing in line to cast his vote at MA Abdul Mojid High School polling centre. Photo: Amran Hossain

11:25am: Allegations of 'forced casting' surface from Pubail Ideal University College. Ruling party men seen talking in mobile phones.

12:00noon: Our correspondent reports illegal ballot stuffing in Shaheed Smriti High School.

Ballot stuffing in Shaheed Smriti High School. Photo: Mohammad Al Masum Mollah

12:10pm: BNP arranges press briefing in Nayapaltan. Senior Joint Secretary General Rizvi Ahmed says, the election is on the path of how the government wants it to be.

12:30pm: No news of major violence anywhere.

1:45pm: Voting halted in at least 5 polling centres, office sources of the returning officer tells The Daily Star.

2:00pm: BNP's mayor candidate Hasan Uddin Sarker alleges mass irregularities and demands that the Election Commission puts a stop to the election.

BNP central leader and former lawmaker Hasan Uddin Sarkar and Gazipur AL General Secretary Advocate Jahangir Alam.

Hasan Uddin Sarkar

BNP central leader and former lawmaker Hasan Uddin Sarkar, 70, is a first time mayoral candidate at GCC polls 2018.

The BNP candidate, also a freedom fighter, joined the party in 1999. He contested in the 2001 parliamentary election for BNP and stood third in the election.
Before that, Hasan was member of parliament(MP) in 1986 and 1988 from Jatiya Party.

Later in the parliamentary election of 2008, Hasan sarkar was defeated by Awami League candidate Jahid Hasan Rasel.
Jahangir Alam

Gazipur AL General Secretary Advocate Jahangir Alam is a former vice-president of the pro-Awami League student body Bangladesh Chhatra League.

In 2013, Jahangir resigned from the post of vice-chairman of Gazipur sadar upazila to contest the GCC polls.

But Ajmat, the then general secretary of Gazipur district AL, earned the party's support to contest against the BNP-backed mayoral candidate.

Later, Jahangir announced to step down from the Gazipur mayoral race and vowed to work for the AL-led 14-party supported candidate as per the direction of the prime minister.

4:00pm: Voting ends and counting begins. 

Vote counting is going on in Kazi Azimuddin College polling centre in Gazipur on 26 June 2018. Photo: Palash Khan

5:00pm: Voting was suspended at nine polling centres, Returning Officer Raquib Uddin Mondal says.

Returning Officer Raquib Uddin Mondal talks to reporters at a briefing held after voting ended on Tuesday, June 26, 2018. Photo: Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

5:00pm: Turnout of voter would be 55 to 60 per cent, said Returning Officer Raquib Uddin Mondal.

5:50pm: Free and fair election is held to Gazipur City Corporation, EC Secretary Helaluddin Ahmed says in a post-polls reaction.

9:00pm: Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader trashed BNP's allegation of vote rigging in the Gazipur City Corporation election and asked the party to show facts and documents in support of its allegation.

Md Jahangir Alam, Awami League nominated mayor candidate in Gazipur City Corporation elections, waves at party men and supporters in a post-polls reaction at Gazipur Club Limited on Tuesday, June 26, 2018. Md Jahangir Alam is ahead in the vote counts so far compared to Hasan Uddin Sarker of BNP by significant margin. Photo: Palash Khan

11:00pm: As per results of 85 centres out of 425 polling stations in 57 wards across the city corporation area, Jahangir Alam is ahead with 73,998 votes while Hasan Uddin Sarker got 41,968 votes, according to sources at the office of returning officer.

8:30am: Awami League nominated mayor candidate Md Jahangir Alam leads in the vote counts with 3,24,411 votes while BNP's Hasan Uddin Sarker got 1,60,686 votes, as per results of 338 centres out of 425 polling centres.