Voting in 115 Upazilas ended on Thursday, marked by sporadic clashes in different districts and the snatching of ballots.
Published : 27 Feb 2014, 05:07 PM
One person was killed and many others were injured in the clashes as the polling was held in 8,131 voting centres across the country from 8am to 4pm in the second phase of the local government body elections.
Election Commission acting Secretary Md Sirajul Islam said counting had already begun.
A clash at the Nandiaparha Degree College in Noakhali’s Sonaimurhi left one dead.
Locals had also clashed with the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) troops at Thakurgaon’s Baliadangi and Bagerhat’s Fakirhat Upazilas during the voting.
Sirajul Islam said the EC had cancelled voting at all the polling centres in the Noakhali Sadar Upazila as the situation had spun out of control.
Polling at one centre at Sirajganj’s Tarash, 11 at Barisal Sadar, eight at Faridganj and one at Feni Sadar Upazila was also suspended.
The EC Secretariat had confirmed the cancellation of polls at these 21 centres, but, according to local Returning Officers, the number was higher.
The EC, however, claimed that, overall, the voting was ‘peaceful’ barring some incidents.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which was on the lead at the local bodies elections after the first phase, on Thursday claimed that Upazila polls had been reduced to a ‘festival seize poll centres' by the ruling Awami League supporters.
BNP-backed chairman candidates at Noakhali’s Kabirhat and Companiganj, Jessore's Sharsha and Chougacha, Barisal Sadar and Cox’s Bazar’s Chakaria declared a boycott the polls alleging rigging, occupation of centres and assault on polling agents at those Upazilas.
Local BNP units have also announced dawn-to-dusk general strikes at the two Upazilas in Noakhali on Friday, at Sharsha and Chougachaon Saturday, and at Chakaria and Barisal Sadar Upazila on Sunday.
At a press briefing around 4pm on Thursday, EC acting Secretary Sirajul Islam said, “Voting took place in a festive mood. There were long queues at the (polling) centres. Despite some isolated incidents, fair poll was held all over.”
Hours after the second phase of Upazila elections began in the morning, BNP Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi told the media, "Our apprehensions of the past few days have come true. There has been brazen use of force by ruling party supporters within two hours after the polls started.”
“Ruling party supporters are snatching away ballot papers and stamping them. They were taken aback by the opposition backed candidates’ performance in the first phase of Upazila polls and are taking no chance this time. This has become a grand-festival of forcible take-over of polling centres,” said Rizvi.
Sirajul Islam said, “Allegations may come from any quarters. But we have taken immediate steps.”
He also said Returning Officers in Thakurgaon, Jessore, Munshiganj, Feni, Barisal and some other districts had taken necessary measures when violence and clashes erupted.
More than 1,300 people are in the race for the offices of chairmen and vice chairmen in 115 Upazilas in the second phase of ballot. Nearly 20 million voters voted on Thursday to elect 345 representatives.
The Election Commission, however, did not say what the turnout was on Thursday.
Islam told the briefing at the EC’s Media Centre that two polling officers had died of heart attacks during voting in Dhaka’s Keraniganj Upazila and Joypurhat’s Khetlal Upazila.
Second phase at a glance
A total of 1,376 candidates are contesting from 117 Upazilas. Of them, 515 are vying for the post of chairman, 521 for vice chairman, and 340 candidates are running for the office of woman vice chairperson.
The second phase has over 19.8 million voters - over 9.9 million of them women.
Balloting was not held in Maheshkhali and Haimchar on Thursday. The two Upazilas have 36 candidates and nearly 250,000 voters.
There were 8,131 polling centres and 51,698 voting rooms in 117 Upazilas.
A total of 103,396 polling officials were on duty.
There was one presiding officer for each polling centre, while each voting booth had an assistant presiding officer and two polling officers.
The first phase, held just a month after the violence-plagued general elections, saw a 62 percent turnout in 98 Upazilas.
Balloting was halted at two polling centres at Sirajganj’s Ullaparha in the first stage. The EC has already decided to hold re-polls in those centres on Mar 3.
Initially, 117 Upazilas were slated to go to polls in the second phase.
However, voting at Cox’s Bazar’s Maheshkhali was rescheduled for Mar 1 after a High Court directive following a petition. Maheshkhali’s traditional ‘Adinath Mela’ was on Thursday.
The court is yet to decide on a petition on Chandpur’s Haimchar Upazila over boundary demarcation with Shariatpur’s Ghoshairghat.