# 2021 Chattogram City Corporation election

The 2021 Chattogram City Corporation election was a local government election in the city of Chattogram, Bangladesh, held on 27 January 2021 to elect the Mayor of Chittagong and the Chittagong City Council. This election was marred by violence and it was not seen as a free, fair and credible election. Later in 2024, after ruling Awami League regime fell, vote rigging by Awami League was confirmed in this election.

## Background

The Chattogram City Corporation (CCC) is the governing body responsible for the administration of Chattogram, the second-largest city in Bangladesh. The term of the previous mayor, A. J. M. Nasir Uddin, elected in 2015, ended in 2020. The election was originally scheduled to take place in March 2020 but was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

## Candidates

The election was mainly contested between candidates of the two major political parties in Bangladesh:
List of mayoral candidates :
| Party | Party | Flag | Symbol | Candidates |
| | Bangladesh Awami League | | | Rezaul Karim Chowdhury |
| | Bangladesh Nationalist Party | | | Dr. Shahadat Hossain |
Other minor candidates from smaller parties and independent candidates also participated.
List of councillor candidates :
| Ward | Ward | Awami League | Awami League | Awami League | BNP | BNP | BNP |
| # | Name | Party | Party | Candidate | Party | Party | Candidate |
| 1 | South Pahartali | | AL | Gazi Md. Shafiul Azim | | BNP | Sirajul Islam Rashed |
| 2 | Jalalabad | | AL | Mohammad Ibrahim | | BNP | Md. Yakub Chowdhury |
| 3 | Panchlaish | | AL | Kofil Uddin Khan | | BNP | Mohammad Elias |
| 4 | Chandgaon | | AL | Md. Saifuddin Khaled | | BNP | Mahabubul Alam |
| 5 | Mohra | | AL | Mohammad Kazi Nurul Amin | | BNP | Mohammad Azam |
| 6 | East Sholashahar | | AL | M Ashraful Alam | | BNP | Hasan Liton |
| 7 | West Sholashahar | | AL | Md. Mobarak Ali | | BNP | Iskandar Mirza |
| 8 | Sholokbahar | | AL | Md. Morshed Alam | | BNP | Hasan Chowdhury |
| 9 | North Pahartali | | AL | Nurul Absar Mia | | BNP | Abdus Sattar Salim |
| 10 | North Kattali | | AL | Nishar Uddin Ahmed | | BNP | Rafiq Uddin Chowdhury |
| 11 | South Kattali | | AL | Mohammad Ismail | | BNP | Sohrab Hossain Chowdhury |
| 12 | Saraipara | | AL | Md. Nurul Amin | | BNP | Shamsul Alam |
| 13 | Pahartali | | AL | Md. Wasim Uddin Chowdhury | | BNP | Jahangir Alam Dulal |
| 14 | Lalkhan Bazar | | AL | Abul Hasnat Md. Belal | | BNP | Abdul Halim |
| 15 | Bagmaniram | | AL | Mohammad Gias Uddin | | BNP | Chowdhury Saifuddin Rashed Siddiqui |
| 16 | Chawkbazar | | AL | Syed Golam Haider Mintu | | BNP | AKM Salahuddin Kausar Labu |
| 17 | West Bakalia | | AL | Mohammad Shahidul Alam | | BNP | AKM Ariful Islam |
| 18 | East Bakalia | | AL | Mohammad Harun or Rashid | | BNP | Mohammad Mohiuddin |
| 19 | South Bakalia | | AL | Md. Nurul Alam | | BNP | Yasin Chowdhury |
| 20 | Dewan Bazar | | AL | Chowdhury Hasan Mahmud Hasni | | BNP | Hafizul Islam Majumdar Milon |
| 21 | Jamal khan | | AL | Shaibal Das Sumon | | BNP | Abu Md. Mohsin Chowdhury |
| 22 | Enayet Bazar | | AL | Mohammad Salim Ullah | | BNP | M.A. Malek |
| 23 | North Pathantooly | | AL | Mohammad Javed | | BNP | Mohammad Mohsin |
| 24 | North Agrabad | | AL | Nazmul Haque Duke | | BNP | SM Faridul Alam |
| 25 | Rampur | | AL | Abdus Sabur Liton | | BNP | Shahid Md. Chowdhury |
| 26 | North Halishahar | | AL | Mohammad Hossain | | BNP | Md. Abul Hashem |
| 27 | South Agrabad | | AL | Md. Sheikh Zafrul Haider Chowdhury | | BNP | Mohammad Sekandar |
| 28 | Pathantooly | | AL | Nazrul Islam Bahadur | | BNP | SM Jamal Uddin Jasim |
| 29 | West Madarbari | | AL | Golam Mohammad Zobair | | BNP | Md. Salah Uddin |
| 30 | East Madarbari | | AL | Ataullah Chowdhury | | BNP | Habibur Rahman |
| 31 | Alkaran | | AL | Md. Abdus Salam | | BNP | Didarur Rahman Labu |
| 32 | Andarkilla | | AL | Jahar Lal Hazari | | BNP | Syed Abul Basar |
| 33 | Firingee Bazar | | AL | Mohammad Salahuddin | | BNP | Aktar Khan |
| 34 | Patharghata | | AL | Pulak Khastagir | | BNP | Ismail Bali |
| 35 | Boxirhat | | AL | Haji Nurul Haque | | BNP | Advocate Tariq Ahmad |
| 36 | Gosaildanga | | AL | Jahangir Alam Chowdhury | | BNP | Mohammad Harun (Doc) |
| 37 | North Middle Halishahar | | AL | Md. Hossain Murad | | BNP | Mohammad Osman |
| 38 | South Middle Halishahar | | AL | Golam Md. Chowdhury | | BNP | Hanif Saudagar |
| 39 | South Halishahar | | AL | Ziaul Haque Sumon | | BNP | Sarfraz Quader |
| 40 | North Patenga | | AL | Abdul Barek | | BNP | Mohammad Harun |
| 41 | South Patenga | | AL | Saleh Ahmad Chowdhury | | BNP | Md. Nurul Afshar |
| Reserved Women’s Councillor ||||||||
| 42 | Reserved women's seat-1 | | AL | Syeda Kashpia Nahrin, | | BNP | Roksana Begum |
| 43 | Reserved women's seat-2 | | AL | Zobaira Nargis Khan | | BNP | Shahenewaz Chowdhury Minu |
| 44 | Reserved women's seat-3 | | AL | Zohra Begum | | BNP | Jinnatun Nesha Jinu |
| 45 | Reserved women's seat-4 | | AL | Tashlima Begum Nurjahan | | BNP | Sakina Begum |
| 46 | Reserved women's seat-5 | | AL | Shiuli Dey | | BNP | Monoara Begum Moni |
| 47 | Reserved women's seat-6 | | AL | Shaheen Akhtar Rozi | | BNP | Mahmuda Sultana Jharna |
| 48 | Reserved women's seat-7 | | AL | Rumki Sengupta | | BNP | Advocate Parveen Akhter Chowdhury |
| 49 | Reserved women's seat-8 | | AL | Neelu Nag | | BNP | Arjun Nahar Manna |
| 50 | Reserved women's seat-9 | | AL | Noor Akhtar Prama | | BNP | Khaleda Borhan |
| 51 | Reserved women's seat-10 | | AL | Hoore Ara Begum | | BNP | Jasmina Khanom |
| 52 | Reserved women's seat-11 | | AL | Jinnat Ara Begum | | BNP | Kamrun Nahar Liza |
| 53 | Reserved women's seat-12 | | AL | Afroza Zahoor | | BNP | Sahida Khanom |
| 54 | Reserved women's seat-13 | | AL | Lutfunnesa Dobash Baby | | BNP | Monoara Begum |
| 55 | Reserved women's seat-14 | | AL | Shahanur Begum | | BNP | Zahida Hossain |

## Electoral Process

The election was conducted using electronic voting machines (EVMs) in all 735 polling stations in the city. Around 1.92 million voters were registered to cast their vote. This was one of the first large-scale uses of EVMs in local elections in Bangladesh, a move that was both praised and criticized by various political parties.

## Mayoral election results

The results were announced later in the evening on January 27, 2021. Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, the Awami League candidate, won the mayoral race by a wide margin, receiving approximately 369,248 votes, while Shahadat Hossain of the BNP garnered 52,489 votes.
Rezaul Karim Chowdhury succeeded A. J. M. Nasir Uddin as mayor of Chattogram. The Awami League also secured the majority of the councilor positions in the 41 wards of the Chattogram City Corporation.
| Candidate | Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
| | Rezaul Karim Chowdhury | Bangladesh Awami League | 369,248 | 84.79 |
| | Dr. Shahadat Hossain | Bangladesh Nationalist Party | 52,489 | 12.05 |
| | Md. Jannatul Islam | Islami Andolan Bangladesh | 4,980 | 1.14 |
| | Abul Manzoor | National People's Party | 4,653 | 1.07 |
| | M A Matin | Bangladesh Islami Front | 2,126 | 0.49 |
| | Muhammad Waheed Murad | Islamic Front Bangladesh | 1,109 | 0.25 |
| | Khokon Chowdhury | Independent | 885 | 0.20 |
| Total | Total | Total | 435,490 | 100.00 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | Valid votes | 435,490 | 99.76 |
| Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | Invalid/blank votes | 1,053 | 0.24 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 436,543 | 100.00 |
| Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | Registered voters/turnout | 1,938,706 | 22.52 |
| Source: |||||

## Council election results
### Party-wise

2021 CCC council election results (party-wise) :
| Party | Party | Leader | Councilor contested seats | Councilor elected in Seats | Ward Councilors | Reserved Women Councilors |
| | Bangladesh Awami League | Rezaul Karim Chowdhury | 55 | 42 / 55 | 33 | 9 |
| | Independent | unknown | unknown | 13 / 55 | 8 | 5 |
| Total | Total | Total | Total | 55 | 41 | 14 |

## Violence

The election day was marked by reports of violence in multiple wards across the city. Several clashes were reported between supporters of the ruling Awami League and the opposition BNP. In one such incident, a polling agent of a BNP-backed councilor candidate was killed, prompting further criticism of the law enforcement agencies and the fairness of the electoral process.
According to local media reports, around 20 people were injured in election-related violence, and allegations of vote rigging and irregularities were rampant. Despite these issues, the Election Commission of Bangladesh declared the election successful and largely peaceful.

## Aftermath and Reactions

After the Chattogram City Corporation Election of 2021, reactions were deeply divided. The ruling party, the Awami League (AL), celebrated the victory of their candidate, Rezaul Karim Chowdhury. They claimed that the election had been conducted fairly and that the result represented the will of the people of Chattogram. Rezaul Karim, in his post-election statements, promised to continue the development projects started by the previous mayor, A. J. M. Nasir Uddin.
On the other hand, the opposition, particularly the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), rejected the election results outright. They accused the Awami League of voter suppression, vote rigging, and using law enforcement to intimidate opposition supporters. Shahadat Hossain, the BNP candidate, demanded an investigation into the alleged irregularities and called for the election results to be annulled. The BNP also organized protests, claiming that the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs) had made it easier to manipulate the results in favor of the ruling party. Shahadat Hossain's call for investigation was rejected and Rezaul Karim Chowdhury was sworn in as the 6th Mayor of Chattogram City Corporation on 11 February 2021. Rezaul Karim couldn't fulfill his term as Sheikh Hasina's regime fell in 2024 amid mass protests. On 19 August, Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, along with the mayors of other city corporations, was removed from his position and replaced by the Divisional Commissioners.