2nd phase of UZ polls: Voter turnout could be low this time too
A total of 156 upazilas will go to polls today in the second phase of the upazila parishad elections amid concerns over a low voter turnout.
Election experts attribute fears of another potential low turnout to a general apathy towards the electoral process, as evidenced by the 36 percent voter turnout in the first phase of upazila polls on May 8, the lowest since 2009, when it was 70.57 percent.
The battle of ballots will take place among the independents, mostly from the ruling Awami League, as other political parties have not fielded any candidates.
The BNP, among other parties, is staying away from the polls, as it did in the January 7 election, saying that the incumbent Election Commission is not capable of holding the elections for local government bodies in a free and fair manner.
Speaking on the matter, Badiul Alam Majumdar, secretary of Sushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan), said low voter turnout is a matter of concern, as people have lost faith in the electoral system that has nearly collapsed.
"A game is being played in the name of the election."
He also said that low turnouts of voters and political parties boycotting the elections are symptoms of people's lack of confidence in the electoral process.
"Many voters are worried whether they will even be able to cast their ballots."
Sharmeen Murshid, chief executive officer at Brotee, a non-government organisation and a local election observer, said a lack of quality elections with good governance has eroded voters' trust in the country's electoral system.
"The elections have almost become a farce, with candidates from only one party competing. There is no place in the polls for people from different ideological backgrounds.
"People don't believe they will be able to elect their candidate of choice through the elections... No EC will be able to fix the system in a single tenure, as mismanagement in the elections has turned into a culture."
Meanwhile, Election Commissioner Anisur Rahman said he thinks the issue of voter turnout is not a matter of concern to the EC.
He added the EC has taken necessary measures to ensure that voters can cast their votes without difficulty, including the usual steps of asking local authorities to run awareness campaigns to encourage people to vote.
The EC primarily decided to hold elections in 161 upazilas in the second phase. But it withheld the elections in three upazilas due to High Court stay orders and deaths of candidates.
Furthermore, there will be no elections in Chattogram's Raozan and Cumilla Adarsha Sadar since all chairman and vice chairman candidates in these two upazilas were elected unopposed.
A total of 1,824 candidates -- 603 for chairman, 693 for vice chairman, and 528 for vice chairman reserved for women posts-- are contesting in the polls, during which some 3.52 crore voters are expected to vote at 13,016 polling centres.
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