Polls open in 117 upazilas in third phase of local elections

Polls have opened at 117 upazilas in 25 districts in the third phase of Upazila Parishad elections.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 24 March 2019, 04:08 AM
Updated : 24 March 2019, 04:08 AM

Polls opened at 9,298 centres at 8 am and will close at 4 pm.

A total of 11,887,761 voters can cast their ballots at 9,298 polling centres in this phase of the elections. Sunday has been declared a public holiday in the relevant constituencies.

Electronic voting machines (EVMs) are being used at four upazilas in this phase of the polls. These are Rangpur Sadar, Gopalganj Sadar, Manikganj Sadar and Meherpur Sadar. Tablets will be used to send vote tallies quickly from the various centres.

Election Commission Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed said at a press conference at the EC building’s media centre on Saturday:

“We are taking more stringent measures. We have deployed additional BGB and RAB personnel to the upazilas where we hear there may be problems. Additional executive magistrates have also been appointed.”

The EC was committed to fair polls, the secretary said. Officers-in-charge of nine thanas and executive magistrates at three upazilas have been removed immediately upon allegations surfacing, he added.

Some others have been relieved of duty, he said.

Three members of parliament have been sent warnings during the campaigns in the third stage of the upazila elections and been told to leave the election constituencies.

Though 127 upazilas had been scheduled to hold elections in this third phase, polls were delayed at four upazilas.

Of these, the polls at Chattogram’s Lohagora and Cox’s Bazar’s Kutubdia were stayed due to court orders, while the Narsingdi Sadar and Cox’s Bazar Sadar polls were deferred to the fourth phase of elections on Mar 31.

Polls are not being contested at six upazilas because the candidates were unopposed. As a result a total of 117 upazilas are voting on Sunday.

Additional restrictions have been announced in the Rohingya camp area in Cox’s Bazar due to the polls. No Rohingya refugees are allowed to leave the boundaries of the camp from 7 pm on Mar 23 to 8 am on Mar 25.

NGOs and volunteer workers cannot use vehicles to enter the camps at this time. But food, aid and necessary medical supplies will be allowed to enter.

A total of 340 candidates are vying for upazila chairmen seats, 584 for vice chairmen seats and 399 for women vice chairmen seats in this phase of the elections.

The Upazila Parishad elections are being held in five phases. The first phase was held on Mar 10, the second on Mar 18.

Though parties have been allowed to contest the local government polls for the first time, the BNP and most other opposition parties are boycotting the elections.

According to the Election Commission, the turnout in the first phase of elections was 43 percent and the second phase was 41 percent.

In the first phase of elections 28 candidates were elected unopposed, 48 in the second phase and 55 in the third.

The fourth phase of the election is to be held on Mar 31, with the fifth and final phase on Jun 18.