Vote counting continues
Counting of votes in the first phase upazila election started shortly after the voting ended at 4:00pm today.
In the first phase, the election was held at 97 upazilas of the country.
Beginning at 8:00am, vote casting continued without any break amid festive mood.
Earlier around 3:15pm, Sirajul Islam, acting secretary to the Election Commission, expressed his satisfaction over the voting situation.
The election continued peacefully and with spontaneous participation of voters despite some stray incidents, he said.
Asked about BNP’s hartal in several upazilas protesting "vote rigging" by ruling party men, the EC official said he was not aware of any hartal.
Addressing a press briefing this afternoon, he also said they have taken all initiatives to hold a free and fair election.
In the morning, people turned out in numbers in polling centres across the country on the first phase of upazila election that continued till 4:00pm uninterruptedly.
A total of 432 aspirants are contesting for chairmen, 513 for vice chairmen, and 329 for vice chairwomen in the upazilas.
Around 1.64 crore voters are entitled to cast their votes today amid a crucial and prestigious battle between ruling Awami League and BNP-backed candidates.
The government has announced today as public holiday in the polling areas.
Presence of voters at the poll centres was thin in the morning but people started rushing to the polling booths from around 9:00am.
Alongside regular security forcers, the army has been deployed in the upazilas to maintain law and order.
Out of 487 upazilas of the country, election will also be held on February 24 under the first phase while 117 upazilas on February 27 in the second phase, and 83 on March 15 in the third phase. Elections to the remaining 97 will be held on March 23.
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