The Crime Desk: The second phase of the Upazila Parishad elections will begin on Tuesday (May 21)) at 8 a.m. in 156 upazilas of the country and will continue till 4 p.m..
Out of this, 24 upazilas will vote on EVMs, and the rest will be on the ballot paper. The Election Commission expects the second phase of voting to be “fairer” than the first phase.
Election Commissioner Md. Alamgir said that, in light of their first experience, they will overcome the’minor’ problems and hope that voter turnout will increase.
The election commissioner also said that the administration and the police are “extremely alert” to maintain law and order in the polling area.
Voting is taking place in 13 thousand 16 centers of 156 upazilas on Tuesday. The number of voters in the second phase of the of the election is 3 crore 52 lakh 4 thousand 748 people; male voters: 1 crore 79 lakh 5 thousand 464 people; and female voters: 1 crore 72 lakh 99 thousand 47 people. Besides, the number of Hijra voters is 237.
The ruling Awami League did not give party symbols or nominations in the local government elections, even though there was an opportunity to vote for the post of chairman on the party symbol in the upazila parishad elections. As a result, Awami League leaders are electing independent candidates.
On the other hand, despite a few BNP leaders contesting as independent candidates, the party boycotted the Upazila Parishad polls.
The schedule for the second phase of elections was announced for 161 upazilas. Some upazilas have been left out due to postponement, phase change, and unopposed candidates being elected. In the end, voting is taking place in 156 upazilas.
There are a total of 1,024 candidates in this phase. Among them, 603 are contesting for the post of chairman, 693 for the post of vice chairman, and 528 for the post of women vice chairman.
At this stage, 7 candidates for the post of chairman, 8 candidates for vice chairman, and 7 candidates for the post of women vice chairman, i.e., a total of 22 candidates, have already been elected unopposed.
Raujan and Comilla Adarsh Sadar: Single candidates were elected unopposed in all three posts in these two upazilas. As a result, there is no need to vote in these upazilas.
Postponed cases and stages changed in Babuganj, Uzirpur, and Banaripara (fourth stage), Ruma (postponed for administrative reasons), and Moulvibazar Sadar (postponed in cases).
According to the decision of the Election Commission, the ballot papers will be delivered to 697 centers in remote upazilas on Monday. And the remaining 12 thousand 323 polling stations will reach the ballot papers on Tuesday before 8 a.m. on the polling day.
Director of Public Relations of EC. Shariful Alam said that 17 members of the law and order force are deployed in general centers and 18 to 19 members in important centers in the constituency.
In special areas (hilly and remote areas), 19 members are deployed in general centers, and 20 to 21 members are deployed in important centers.
156 executive magistrates are engaged in the polling field. Upazila-based judicial magistrates will also be engaged. Besides, more executive and judicial judges will be deployed for four days before and after the polls.
In the second phase, 458 platoon BGB is deployed in the field as a mobile and striking force. There will be 47,829 policemen in the polling stations, 13,490 policemen in the mobile team, and 5,567 in the striking force. And in all, 89,863 policemen are deployed.
2,768 RAB members will be engaged to maintain the law and order situation. There are 1 lakh, 93 thousand, and 287 members of Ansar in polling stations, mobile, and striking forces.
Additional law enforcement personnel will be deployed in 16 districts: additional BGB 25 platoons, additional RAB 17 sections, additional Coast Guard 2 sections, and additional Hakim 38 personnel will be in charge.
EC Additional Secretary Ashok Kumar Debnath said that there will be a high-level monitoring cell in the Election Commission to facilitate the smooth conduct of the elections. Representatives of various government ministries and organizations are also kept in this cell.
A law enforcement cell headed by the District Magistrate has also been formed to ensure a peaceful environment on the occasion of the elections, to coordinate the activities of the law enforcement agencies, and to consolidate them.
Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal urged the local government to make this election fair.
A letter was also sent to the Speaker to prevent the influence of MP-ministers in the election. Along with this, instructions are also given to the administration and police to conduct fair elections at any cost. He also expressed relief that there were no major clashes or violent incidents in the first phase of voting.
Barisal-6 Constituency Member of Parliament Abdul Hafiz Mallik has appeared before the EC on the summons of the Commission for the incident of public voting in the first phase.
The Election Commission canceled the candidature of Jamil Hossain Durjoy, chairman candidate of Sreepur Upazila of Gazipur, due to a violation of the code of conduct in the second phase of voting. Durjoy, the elder brother of State Minister for Primary and Mass Education Rumana Ali Tusi, later got his candidacy back on the orders of the High Court.
In this phase, 24 out of 156 upazilas will vote in the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM). Voters have to find the polling station based on their voter number after going to the specific center to vote in the EVM. After standing in line and reaching the designated room in front of the Assistant Presiding Officer, the voter’s identity will be verified.
The Assistant Presiding Officer identifies the voter in several ways. These include a 10-digit smart card number, a 17-digit laminated NID number, a 12-digit voter number, and fingerprint identification using a smart card.
After identifying the voter’s name in the list using any one of these methods, his fingerprint will be matched. If the print matches, the voter’s photo and voting information will appear on a monitor in front of the Assistant Presiding Officer. The candidate’s polling agent and voter will see it.
A polling officer will place a tick next to the voter’s name in the voter list if the fingerprint is received by the control unit. Another polling officer will apply indelible voting ink to the voter’s finger. Then that voter will be given the opportunity to vote in the EVM.
Even if fingerprints are not found for any reason, the Assistant Presiding Officer can issue electronic ballots by identifying a maximum of 1 percent of the total voters as voters in accordance with the rules.
In the upazila election, after seeing the preferred candidates and symbols for the three posts, select them by pressing the button on the right side, and complete the vote by pressing the green CONFIRM button.
In the sixth upazila poll, voting is being held in four phases, with 485 upazilas eligible for election out of the total of 495 upazilas in the country. Later, if the period expires, the election commission will organize the polls for the rest.
In the first phase, 22 upazilas were voted in EVM. In the third phase, 24 and in the fourth phase, EC decided to conduct EVM elections in two upazilas.
Voting was held in 139 upazilas of the first phase on May 8. In these upazilas, about 36 percent of votes are cast. 28 people were elected unopposed in the first phase. 22 people are passing unopposed in the second phase. This is followed by voting in the third phase on May 29 and the fourth phase on June 5.
