Dhaka, Mar 28 (bdnews24.com) – The Election Commission (EC) expects political leaders will not try to influence the Union Parishad (UP) elections starting on Tuesday.
Election commissioner Sohul Hossain expressed the EC's expectation while talking to reporters on Monday.
He also expressed the commission's satisfaction over the improvement of law and order in the election areas.
"The present law and order in unions where elections will be held is satisfactory. We have been informed that the situation in Barisal region is now better as the commission took a number of strict decisions on Sunday," he said.
The EC on Sunday postponed polls in three unions of Patharghata Upazila in Barguna under Barisal division where allegations of intimidation were proved.
Sohul said the political parties could not have any large influence in the UP elections.
He sought help of all concerned, including the political parties, to make the elections free and fair.
Another commissioner, M Sakhawat Hossain, was present during the briefing.
Elections in 568 unions under 72 upazilas in 12 coastal districts are scheduled to be held between Tuesday and April 3.
The first-phase voting will cover 187 unions of 24 upazilas under Khulna, Chittagong and Barisal divisions.
The commission has already completed all the preparations to hold the elections, he said.
Public holiday has been declared in the areas for the sake of smooth voting.
LAW ENFORCERS
The EC has deployed police, Border Guard Bangladesh, RAB and Coast Guard for three days. They will be on duty from the day before polls.
Two magistrates -- one judicial and one executive -- have been assigned the task of running mobile courts at every Upazila to hold immediate trial of charges of violating electoral code of conduct.
More than two magistrates have been posted in sensitive areas. Members of the striking force, led by the executive magistrate, will discharge their duties in the electoral areas.
FIRST PHASE STATISTICS
Some 3,095 candidates will be fighting for 596 chairman posts, 22,377 for 5,364 general member and 6,775 for 1,778 reserved member.
Total number of voters in Tuesday's polls is 8,348,516, while the number of polling centres is 5,606 and polling booths are 26,268.
According to the EC Secretariat, there are 4,505 unions in the country. The total number of voters is 69,278,069.
OBSERVERS
EC Secretariat's public relations director Swapan Kumar Bhowmik told bdnews24.com there would be more than 1,500 observers during the elections.
"No observers will be allowed in the marking place. There will be no full time observer in the booths," he added.
Election commissioner Mohammad Sohul Hussain said in the risky centres upazila election officers would be given the responsibility of silent observers.
EIGHTH THIS TIME
Seven Union Parishad elections have been held in Bangladesh since independence.
The polls were held in 1973, 1977, 1983-84, 1988, 1992, 1997 and 2003.
RISKY POLLING CENTERS IN PIROJPUR
Around 255 polling centres of seven upazilas in Pirojpur have been identified as 'risky' by the EC.
Polls in 49 unions of the seven upazilas are scheduled for Mar 29, 30, 31 and Apr 1, 2 and 3.
Of them, elections in 10 unions of Nesarabad (Swarupkathi) Upazila, which has 93 risky polling centres, will be held on Tuesday.
District election officer Mohammad Ruhul Amin Mallik told reporters that 120,901 voters would exercise their franchise at 379 polling centres under the 10 unions.
District police superintendent S M Moniruzzaman told reporters that of the 449 polling centres in the district, 255 are risky and 194 are low-risk. The number of the voters in the district is 612,858.
ARMS RECOVERED IN BAGERHAT
A foreign rifle, two locally-made pipe guns, four rounds of ammunition, four hand bombs and a machete were recovered from Kachubunia Government Primary School in Sundarban union council of Mongla Upazila under Bagerhat on Monday, a day before the elections there.
Polls in 74 unions at nine upazilas in Bagerhat will begin from Tuesday.
The EC has postponed polls in Gangni of Mollahat Upazila upon High Court directives.
According to district election office, UP chairman candidates Mohammad Abu Taher Hawlader of Sonailtala union in Mongla Upazila and Mohammad Abul Hossain of Lakhpur union in Fakirhat Upazila were unofficially declared winners as they had no contestants.
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