Third phase of Union Council polls opens

Polls have opened in as many as thousand union councils amid warnings of strict measures against violence.

Senior Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 28 Nov 2021, 04:25 AM
Updated : 28 Nov 2021, 05:23 AM

The third phase of union council elections began at 8 am on Sunday and will continue until 4 pm without a break.

Complaints of defying the election code of conduct have been raised in some constituencies during the current union council polls.

More than three dozen people have died in violence related to the union council elections.

The Election Commission have met with law enforcers, the administration and election officials multiple times to try and keep the situation under control. Stringent measures will be taken in case of any violence, it said.

“The EC expects the election to be fair and free,” Election Commission Secretary Md Humayun Kabir Khandaker told the media on Saturday.

Authorities have ordered the identification of ‘pockets’ where there could be violence related to the polls and provided intelligence briefs in advance. The EC has also ordered that exemplary action will be taken against those breaking the rules.

Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda has solicited the assistance of all political parties, candidates and supporters to maintain a fair election environment.

ELECTION INFORMATION

>> 1,000 unions are casting their ballots for their local union councils in the third phase

>> The total number of voters in the third phase is 20,144,278. Ballots will be cast at 10,159 polling centres and in 61,830 polling rooms

>> A total of 50, 146 candidates are vying for council seats (excluding those elected uncontested), with 4,409 competing for the chairman post, 11,105 vying for reserved seats and 34,632 for general member seats.

>> 569 council members were elected uncontested. Among them, 100 were elected as chairman, 132 were elected for reserved seats and 337 for member posts.

As the coronavirus pandemic ebbed, the first phase of the union council election was held on Jun 21 and Sept 20 and the second on Nov 11. The Awami League, Jatiya Party and several other political parties are taking part in the election while the BNP has boycotted it.

The commission announced the union council election schedule in five phases. As many as 1,200 union councils had polls in the first two phases. The fourth phase on Dec 26 will have polls in 840 unions, while the fifth phase on Jan 5 will have elections in 707 union councils.

The EC said it would announce the election schedule for more than 300 union councils in the sixth phase.