Third Phase UZ Polls: Polls-day fervour hardly seen

The third phase of upazila elections also saw a low turnout yesterday.

The usual election-day fervour was hardly found in and around the polling centres. Many of them looked deserted.

After voting ended, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal yesterday said elections to 87 upazilas were conducted in a free and fair manner, with a few instances of untoward incidents.

He said that the turnout would be around 35 percent.

He added that 30 people were detained for attempting to cast fake votes and two others were sentenced to jail. Six people also were injured in clashes, a presiding officer died of natural causes, and one assistant presiding officer was arrested for ballot box stuffing, he added.

If the CEC's estimate is proven to be correct, this would be the lowest turnout in upazila polls since 2009, said EC sources.

The turnout was 36 percent in the first phase of upazila elections held on May 8 and 38 percent in the second phase on May 21.

The figure was 70.57 percent in the 2009 upazila polls, which dropped to 61.23 percent in 2014. On average, it stood at 40 percent in the 2019 upazila polls conducted in five phases.

In the January 7 national election, the turnout was 42 percent.

The BNP and many other political parties are staying off the upazila polls, like they did during the January 7 national election saying that the EC is "not capable of holding the elections in a free and fair manner".

The EC yesterday postponed polls to the vice-chairman post of Bogura Sadar upazila election due to incorrect electoral symbol printed on ballot papers.

Vice-chairman candidate Iftarul Islam Mamun was given the "ice lolly'' symbol, but the symbol of a "ice cream cone" was printed on the ballots.

In this connection, the EC decided to suspend Returning Officer Syed Abu Sayeed, said EC Additional Secretary Ashok Kumar Debnath.

Due to technical glitches in EVMs at PTI, Topobon and Char Koshakhali primary school centres of Pabna Sadar upazila, voting was suspended for over an hour.

Criminals exploded a crude bomb in Pearpur area of Ishwardi -- 100 yards away from a polling centre.

In Sunamganj's Dowarabazar upazila, a mobile court jailed polling agent Masuk Mia for six months and fined him Tk 10,000 for entering a polling centre with a sharp weapon.

Dinajpur Sadar, Chirirbandar, and Khansama upazilas saw a disappointingly low turnout.

In Noakhali's Companiganj, chairman candidate Shahadat Hossain, also a brother of Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader and the upazila AL general secretary, and another candidate "withdrew" and demanded fresh polls.  

[Our correspondents from respective districts contributed to this report.]