Voting for the second phase of the Ninth Union Council Elections have started on Thursday amid heavy security.
Published : 31 Mar 2016, 11:26 AM
After the first phase of voting was marred by violence and irregularities, the Election Commission has asked polls officials to take ‘tough measures’ to maintain normalcy during polling.
Voting started at more than 6,000 polling stations at 8am and will continue until 4pm.
The polls to this lowest tier of government are expected to evoke enthusiastic public response because the Union Councils is all about governance at grassroots..
This is the first time the UP polls are being held along party lines with 17 political parties taking part.
The main battle is, as usual, expected to be between the ruling Awami League (AL) and the BNP.
The elections to the general and reserved seat s will be held with non-party symbols.
The ruling party claims that the elections are being held in a free and fair manner while the BNP describes it as a ‘farce’ fearing large-scale rigging like in the first phase.
Senior AL leader Mohammad Nasim urged the Election Commission (EC) not to spare anyone, including from the ruling party, who may be involved in malpractices during voting.
BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam claimed that ruling party supporters were unleashing terror and violence during the polls to intimidate voters.
Second phase at a glance
30,419 candidates are contesting for the posts of chairman, general and reserved seat members at 639 union councils, for which polls are being held Thursday.
More than 11 million voters, nearly half of them women, are expected to vote at 6,205 polling centres in the second phase.
The Awami League have fielded 639 chairman candidates against the BNP's 560. But they have to contend with 1,169 independent chairman candidates.
The ruling party aspirants have already been elected uncontested in 33 UPs.
First phase results
The first phase of the election was held at 712 union councils on Mar 22 with 74.77 percent voter turnout.
The Awami League chairman candidates won in 540 UPs, the BNP in 47 and independent contestants were elected at 103.
The EC on Feb 11 had announced the schedule for polls at 4,279 Union Parishads.
According to the schedule, the third phase will see polling in 650 unions on Apr 23, followed by vote in 713 unions on May 7, and in another 714 unions on May 28 in the fifth phase.
In the last leg, 660 unions will go to polls on Jun 4.
Observers had warned of violence and irregularities in this election. At least 20 people have been killed in polls-related violence in the last two months since the EC announced the election schedule.
The EC has now taken a ‘stern position’ to prevent violence and electoral fraud during the second phase.
Election Commissioner Mohammad Shah Nawaz said the security forces will get all assistance from the Commission. “Some anomalies took place in the first phase. But we’ve taken action. No one involved in any kind of irregularities will be spared.
“We’ve asked the law-enforcing agencies to take firm measures. We hope the election in the next phases will be fairer.”