Counting on after voting marked by violence

Violence, leading to the death of an Awami League leader, marked the fourth phase of upazila election today.

Meanwhile, counting of votes began immediately after the end of voting at 4:00pm.

The voting began at 8:00am and continued for eight hours without any break.

Apart from clash between supporters of contesting candidates, attack on a polling officer, snatching and stuffing of ballot boxes, allegation of vote rigging and boycotting of votes were reported from several upazilas.

More than 1.38 crore voters are entitled to exercise their franchise today in 91 upazilas in 43 districts to elect one chairman and two vice chairmen, including one reserved for women in each upazila.

A local leader of Awami League was stabbed dead by the supporters of rebel candidate of the ruling party in Gazaria upazila of Munshiganj this morning.

Following the death, Returning Officer of the district Md Sarwar Morshed Chowdhury suspended voting at Dr Abdul Gaffar School and College polling centre. 

The activists of ruling Awami League snatched ballot boxes in two centres of Patuakhali Sadar, halting voting there.

In the meantime, ruling party men allegedly stuffed ballot boxes at 20 centres in Barura upazila of Comilla hours before the voting began.

On the other hand, the AL henchmen allegedly took control of a number of centres in Barisal and Khulna.

In the wake of violence in the previous three phases of upazila polls, the Election Commission yesterday asked the army, police, Border Guard Bangladesh and Rab to take preventive measures for the remaining phases.

The EC rang the bell since blasts and attacks on rivals have intensified tension in some electoral areas.

This phase of the polls appears more crucial after the BNP-backed candidates won 120 chairman posts and their rivals blessed by the AL secured 118 in the previous three phases.

The AL favourites lagged behind in the first two phases of the elections. They, however, fought back through violent means in some upazilas in the third phase on March 15 by winning 10 more chairmen posts than their rivals.

The third phase polls on March 15 saw deadlier violence as the ruling party men intensified their unlawful activities. One person was killed in the second phase polls while three were killed in the third phase.