Vote counting under way following polls in Sherpur, Bogura

No untoward incidents occurred anywhere, Bugura returning officer says

Voting has concluded in the Sherpur-3 constituency general election and the Bogura-6 by-election, with counting now under way across the centres.

Polling for both seats commenced at the scheduled time of 7:30am on Thursday and continued uninterrupted until 4:30pm.

While no major outbreaks of violence were reported, candidates from the Jamaat-e-Islami raised several allegations over electoral malpractice.

Sherpur-3 Jamaat candidate Md Masudur Rahman, meanwhile, boycotted the election.

On the other hand, Bogura-6 candidate Abidur Rahman Sohail alleged "biased" behaviour by presiding officers, claiming that some officials had signed result sheets before the counting had even begun.

The national election took place across 299 constituencies on Feb 12.

However, polling in Sherpur-3 was postponed following the Jamaat candidate’s death after the schedule had been announced.

The by-election in Bogura-6 was necessitated by a vacancy left by BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman.

He won in both Dhaka-17 and Bogura-6 during the general election but chose to vacate the Bogura seat, prompting the by-election.

Md Fazlul Karim, the returning and district election officer for Bogura, said: "The elections were conducted fairly and within a peaceful environment. No untoward incidents were recorded anywhere during the process."