The Election Commission yesterday decided to hold re-elections in three polling centres of Brahmanbaria-2 on January 9, as the polls there were suspended on Sunday.

In a notice, signed by EC Joint Secretary Forhad Ahammad Khan, the commission said that elections in three of the 76 polling centres were suspended following deterioration of law and order during Sunday's national election.

The centres were at Jatrapur Governmnet Primary School, Bahadurpur Governmnet Primary School and Sohagpur Governmnet Primary School.

During voting hours on Sunday, supporters of two candidates were locked in a heated argument after which voting was suspended in the three centres. The incident occurred around 11:00am.

EC officials said that the BNP candidate Abdus Sattar Bhuiyan was leading the polls in the constituency with 82,723 votes while independent candidate Moyeen Uddin bagged 72,564 votes.

The number of voters of the three centres was 10, 572, while the total number of voters in the constituency was 214,039.

Awami League in its election manifesto today pledged to form a National Minority Commission to ensure safety of the minority communities.

Laws that discriminate religious and ethnic minorities will be amended and the communities' property rights will be ensured within a fixed timeframe.

Moreover, steps will be taken to implement the sections of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Peace Accord that have not yet been implemented, the party said in its manifesto. 

BNP’s top policymaker Nazrul Isalm Khan today claimed that the government is obstructing the environment of free and fair national election.

BNP leaders and activists are still getting obstructed, Khan, chairman of the party’s election management committee, said at a press conference.

The court has cancelled the candidacy of 16 BNP contestants after the election commission gave them validity, he said. The declaration came at the last moment.

“There was no time to give replacement candidates. The EC has conspired to gift those 16 constituencies to Awami League,” he alleged.

Today’s episode of ‘The Election Talks 2018’ brings former student politician and journalist Subhash Singha Roy, and political analyst Dr Sakhawat Hossain.

Subhash, a former leader of Bangladesh Chhatra League and a journalist, spoke about the fairness of the election and expressed his views over the allegations against ruling party.

Dr Sakhawat, on the other hand, spoke about the harassment, arrests and cases against opposition political activists to reflect on the situation on the field now.

Watch the video to know more…