Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal estimated that voter turnout was about 50 percent in the Barishal City Corporation election that ended at 4:00pm.

He said turnout in the Khulna City Corporation polls was between 42 and 45 percent.

While briefing reporters at the EC Office, Awal said they have taken adequate preparations to ensure that no post-polls violence takes place in Barishal and Khulna.

He also said polling in the two southern cities were held amid festivities, and in a free and fair manner barring a few incidents.

In Barishal, voter turnout in most of the polling centres was significantly low due to heavy rainfall, according to election officials.

Sanjoy Haldar, the presiding officer at Sher-E-Bangla High School polling centre, stated that the presence of voters was low since morning and rain worsened the situation further.

His statement was echoed by Shuvo Sen, the presiding officer of the Metropolitan College polling centre, and Mohammad Sharif Al Mamun, presiding officer of the Motasar Govt Primary School polling centre.

The situation was similar in nearly all the polling centres, reports our staff correspondent from the spot.