EC to keep 86 vulnerable Rangur city polling stations under CCTV surveillance

The law-enforcing agencies will put in place a six-tier security system

The Election Commission has flagged 86 of the 229 polling stations in Rangpur City Corporation elections as vulnerable and will use CCTV cameras to surveil them.

Balloting will take place from 8:30am to 4:30pm on Tuesday through electronic voting machines, or EVMs, in all the centres. Election equipment were sent to the centres on Monday.

Revealing the information about CCTV cameras, Election Commissioner Rasheda Sultana said: “We took steps about irregularities in the Gaibandha by-election. Voting will be halted if problems occur in Rangpur. We want a fair voting and we’ll have it here.”

A total of 229 presiding officers and 1,349 assistant presiding officers will be deployed at the polling stations. There will also be 2,698 polling officers.

Law-enforcing agencies have taken a six-tier security plan for the election, the third after Rangpur became a city corporation. Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Noor E Alam Mina said plainclothesmen, besides Armed Police Battalion and Ansar personnel, will be deployed to the stations.

And there will be one Rapid Action Battalion team and striking forces in reserve. As many as 33 executive magistrates and 16 judicial magistrates will serve in 33 general wards, said Mina.

A total of 260 candidates, including nine for the mayoral post, 183 for the general councillor posts and 68 for the reserved councillor posts, are in the fray. A general councillor candidate has been elected unopposed.