Rigging marks upazila polls
Voting in 73 upazilas in the final phase of the elections ended amid clashes, vote rigging and boycotts in different places today.
Starting at 8:00am, the election continued till 4:00pm without any break.
Hours before staring polls, a local Jubo League leader was shot dead by unidentified miscreants in Laxmipur Sadar upazila early today.
A clash between supporters of chairman aspirants backed by ruling Awami League and BNP men was reported from Narayanganj during polls.
Five were injured in the clash.
AL men allegedly drove out the polling agents of the BNP-blessed candidate and stuffed ballot boxes at Majlishpur Government Primary School, reports the Prothom Alo.
Meanwhile, 10 chairman aspirants boycotted today’s upazila polls in Tangail, Patuakhali, Jamalpur, Narayanganj and Chuadanga in protest of vote rigging allegation by AL men.
The election authorities have suspended voting in seven polling centres in Barguna and Narayanganj following clashes, alleged vote rigging, ballot stuffing and different irregularities.
On the other hand, supporters of BNP-backed chairman candidate blocked Tangail-Mymensingh highway in Ghatail upazila headquarters protesting stuffing ballots boxes by the AL activists.
Five people were injured when police took action firing rubber bullets to disperse them from the street in the area, reports our Tangail correspondent.
In another development, five BNP and AL men received minor injuries when BNP men clashed with them in protest of vote rigging by the ruling party activists in Araihazar upazila of Narayanganj.
Beside these districts, voters are seen casting their votes during enthusiasm environment in the polls in different districts after the voting started at 8:00am.
Around 1.39 crore voters are entitled to exercise their voting rights in the 73 upazilas to elect a chairman and two vice chairmen, including one in reserved seat for women, in each upazila.
The authorities have set up 34,885 booths in 5,534 polling stations in 73 upazilas, UNB adds.
Officials of local administration have claimed they have taken all measures to ensure peaceful voting.
However, voters in many districts fear violence may flare up during the election, as AL-backed candidates' men intimidated activists of rival camps in the run-up to the polls.
The Election Commission has not taken any additional measures to ensure peaceful voting today, raising fears of violence in this last phase of polls.
The EC yesterday restricted itself to urging the activists of all political parties not to engage in violence to influence the polling.
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