UP Elections: 3 quarters of AL runners become chairman
Ruling Awami League candidates won 76 percent chairman posts in Monday's 156 union parishad elections.
Elections were held in 160 unions, but results of four union parishads were withheld for various reasons, including violence, Election Commission officials said yesterday.
The polls were the final part of the first phase postponed due to the pandemic.
Independent chairman contenders bagged 23 percent chairman posts and those from Workers Party of Bangladesh the rest.
BNP and several other parties boycotted the polls.
According to the EC statistics, AL chairman candidates became victorious in 119 unions. Of them, 43 were elected unopposed.
It also shows that 36 independent candidates won.
Party insiders said almost all of them are AL rebel candidates.
A Workers Party of Bangladesh contender bagged a chairman post.
EC data shows that AL candidates stood second in 23 union parishads where independents won.
Voter turnout in Monday's union parishad elections, held in seven districts, was 69.03 percent. Voting took place in eight unions using electronic voting machines (EVMs) and the turnout was 69.78 percent there.
Among the unions that went to polls using EVMs, the highest turnout was 77.95 percent in Gangarampur union of Khulna's Batiaghata and the lowest turnout 56.16 percent in Charbata union of Noakhali's Subarnachar.
Of the unions where voting was held in traditional ballot papers, the highest turnout was in Dakope union of Khulna's Dakope and the lowest turnout 43.76 percent in Musapur union of Chattogram's Sandwip.
Earlier, AL candidates won 148 chairman posts. Twenty-eight of them were elected unopposed in 204 union parishad polls held as part of the first phase of the elections on June 21 this year.
As many as 49 independents, three each from Jatiya Party and Jatiya Party (Manju), and one from Islami Andolon Bangladesh won.
Voter turnout in June 21's elections, held in 13 districts, was 64.73 percent.
At least three people were killed and dozens others injured in polls violence Monday and three more were killed during the polls of June 21.
Meanwhile, rights body Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) yesterday said the trend of candidates winning the local government elections and by-polls to the parliamentary seats uncontested will have a long-term negative impact on the country's democracy.
People's right to choose their representatives by casting votes has been curtailed and many "qualified" candidates have lost their interest in taking part in polls as a result of the trend of uncontested winning. "It is an ominous sign for culture of democracy," the rights body said in a statement.
Many political parties and individuals lost their interest in joining the election as there is a perception that someone participating in an election with the ruling party ticket would win the polls, it said.
ASK added that many lost their interest in voting due to EC's failure to perform their duties properly. It is EC's responsibility to ensure competitive, participatory and impartial elections.
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