Around 35% voter turnout in 3rd phase upazila polls: CEC
Polls in 22 Remal-hit upazilas on 5, 9 June
The voter turnout in the third phase of upazila parishad polls was around 35%, Chief Election Commission Kazi Habibul Awal has said.
The turnout was 36.1% in the first phase upazila elections, and 37.57% in the second phase.
"Voter turnout could be less than 35%, or it could be higher. It will take 20-22 hours to get the exact figure," the CEC said while briefing the media in Agargaon's Election Building on Wednesday (29 May).
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Mentioning that the voting was conducted in a fair, free, and orderly manner, the CEC said law enforcement agencies played a commendable role, and polling officers contributed significantly to the polls.
There were some untoward incidents on a limited scale, he said, adding that 30 people were arrested for attempting to rig the vote.
"All in all, it was a good election," Habibul said.
The voting in 87 upazilas in the third phase took place today from 8am to 4pm without any break. A total of 1,196 candidates were in the electoral race for 261 posts.
Polls in 22 Remal-hit upazilas on 5, 9 June
Meanwhile, the Election Commission has set new dates for polling in 22 upazila, mostly in the coastal areas, where voting was postponed in the third phase of upazila parishad polls due to Cyclone Remal.
Of these, 20 upazilas will go to polls on 9 June and two others on 5 June, EC Secretary Jahangir Alam said yesterday.
The 20 upazilas where the election will take place on 9 June are – Bagerhat's Sarankhola, Morelganj and Mongla; Khulna's Koyra, Paikgasa and Dumuria; Barishals' Gournadi and Agailjhara; Patuakhali's sadar upazila, Mirzaganj and Dumki; Pirojpur's Mathbaria; Bhola's Tazumuddin and Lalmohan; Jhalakathi's Rajapur and Kathalia; Barguna's Bamna and Patharghata; Rangamati's Baghaichari and Netrokona's Khaliajuri.
In the third phase, a total of 112 upazilas were expected to go to the polls. However, the election was postponed in 22 upazilas due to legal complications and the impact of Cyclone Remal.
The first phase of the poll was held in 139 upazilas on 8 May, while the second phase was held in 156 upazilas on 21 May.
In the 4th phase, over 50 upazilas will go to the polls on 5 June.
