Amid heightened security over concerns of possible violence and bloodshed, 73 Upazila Parishads in 34 districts will go to election on Monday.
Voting in the fifth phase of the local body election will kick off at 8am and run through to 4pm. The government has declared a general holiday in these Upazilas.
Campaigns ended at midnight Saturday with 1,059 aspirants in the fray. Of them, 362 are running for chairman, 418 for vice-chairman and 276 for female vice-chairman.
A total of 34,885 polling booths in 5,534 voting centres are ready to serve a total of 13,891,751 voters — 6,930,269 men and 6,961,482 women.
Though 74 Upazilas across 35 districts were set to balloting at this stage, the Election Commission on Sunday postponed polls in Thakurgaon Sadar Upazila in a bid to avoid legal complications following High Court orders.
Election Commissioner Abdul Mobarak on Sunday was confident that Monday’s voting would be ‘fair and peaceful’ regardless of incidents of rigging and polling centres takeover in the last four phases.
The BNP is wary of a large-scale rigging by ruling Awami League during the fifth phase.
The last four phases were marred with violence in some places since the candidates supported by the political parties, including the Awami League, were desperate to win, said Election Commissioner Abdul Mobarak.
“People have become more desperate. This is inappropriate. I would urge the parties to prevent supporters from engaging in violence.”
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad left the country before the third phase of the polls, which has become important to the parties after the BNP-led front boycotted parliamentary elections.
In the wake of violence and amid criticisms over his vacationing in the US, the CEC, in a letter, had asked the army, police, BGB and RAB to take measures to stop violence.
Later, commissioner Mobarak, who standing in for the CEC, warned of strict actions to prevent violence.
The first phase was largely peaceful. However, the situation turned violent from the second phase when one was killed and scores of people were injured across the country.
In the run-up to the third phase, the situation got worse when a pro-government Bangladesh Chhatra League leader was killed in Sreepur Upazila of Gazipur as the supporters of the Awami League-backed candidate and rebel aspirant clashed.
Later, the EC postponed the polls owing to the deteriorating situation.
At least four people were killed during the fourth phase on Mar 23.
Though the Awami League trailed the BNP in the chairman election in the first three phases, the ruling party-blessed contenders took a clear lead in the battle of ballots in the fourth.
After four rounds, the Awami League-endorsed candidates had won chairman post in 177 Upazilas, toppling the BNP which was in the lead after the third round.
The BNP now has 150 chairmen. With its ally Jamaat’s 32 chairmen and one of LDP, the opposition 19-Party alliance is ahead of the Awami League with chairmen in 183 Upazilas.
Apart from these, three from the Jatiya party, six from Chittagong Hill Tracts-based Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samiti (PCJSS) and three from the United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF) also won chairman posts after the fourth leg.
Troops along with law-enforcing agencies have been deployed in the Upazilas to maintain law and order.
The staggered Upazila elections are held in six phases.
The first phase polls were held on Feb 19 in 97 Upazilas, the second phase on Feb 27 in 115 Upazilas, the third on Mar 15 in 81 Upazilas and the fourth phase on Mar 23 in 81 Upazilas.
The EC plans to hold elections at the remaining Upazilas on May 3, but is yet to announce the schedule.
Source: bdnews24
