Low voter turnout in Brahmanbaria-2, Lakshmipur-3 by-polls
A thin presence of voters has marred the ongoing by-polls in the Brahmanbaria-2 and Lakshmipur-3 constituencies today.
Voting began at 8am in the morning and will continue till 4pm on Sunday (5 November).
Brahmanbaria-2
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At around 8:30am in the morning, it was seen that the presence of voters was very low at the Annada Government High School polling station in Sarail, Brahmanbaria.
One or two voters are coming after a while. As a result, the centre is getting fewer votes. 82 votes have been cast in the centre till 9:30am.
A similar situation was seen at Sohagpur South Government Primary School in Ashuganj.
Annada Government High School Presiding Officer Shahadat Hossain said the total number of voters in his centre is about 4,000.
"Voter turnout has been low. However, the number of voters will increase with time. we hope," he added.
Sohagpur South Government Primary School Presiding Officer Salauddin Ahmed said there are 4,297 voters under the centre. Of this, 87 votes were cast in the centre from 8am to 9:30am.
Meanwhile, the district administration and police administration have taken extensive security measures to tackle untoward instances.
More than 800 policemen, and 7 platoon BGB members along with RAB, Ansar, judicial and executive magistrates have been deployed for the security of the polling station and surrounding areas.
A total of 4,10,072 voters will exercise their right to vote in the election.
5 candidates are competing. They are - Awami League nominated candidate Shahjahan Alam, Jatiya Party's Abdul Hamid Bhasani, Zaker Party's Zahirul Islam Jewel, National People's Party's Razzak Hossain and independent candidate Ziaul Haque Mridha.
On 30 September, the Election Commission declared the seat vacant after the death of Abdus Sattar Bhuiya, member of parliament of the Brahmanbaria-2 constituency.
BNP breakaway leader Abdus Sattar was elected from Brahmanbaria-2 in the 11th national elections held in 2018. Later, he resigned on the party's decision in December last year. After that, in a by-election was held on 1 February. Sattar was re-elected as an independent candidate.
Lakshmipur-3
There are a total of 827 polling booths in 115 polling stations in the constituency.
Candidates from 4 political parties including Awami League are contesting the polls. The candidates are: District Awami League President Golam Farooq Pingu (Boat), District Jatiya Party Joint General Secretary Rakib Hossain (Plough), Zaker Party Standing Committee Member Shamsul Karim Khokon (Rose ) and National People's Party-NPP presidium member Salim Mahmud (Mango).
The total number of voters in this constituency is 4,03,744. Among them, 2,09,096 are male voters and 1,94,648 are female voters.
A total of 16 magistrates including 950 police personnel, 1,495 Ansars and 1 judicial magistrate are on duty in the electoral area. 7 platoons of RAB and 6 platoons of BGB under the magistrates are working to ensure security in the entire constituency.
Local voter Makshuder Rahman said as the by-election is being held just a few weeks before the national election, there is not much excitement among the voters.
On the other hand, Shamsul Karim Khokon and Mohammad Rakib Hossain have expressed concerns.
In an exchange meeting organised with journalists at the Lakshmipur Press Club auditorium on 2 November, the candidates said they fear there may be vote rigging.
152 votes were cast till 10am at Balika Vidya Niketan centre located in the North Station area of Lakshmipur city, said Giyas Uddin Ahmed Bhuiyan, presiding officer of the centre. The centre has 4382 voters.
Md Sharif Hossain, presiding officer of the Ardash Samad Government High School centre of the city said that 100 votes were cast out of 2682 votes.
A similar picture was observed for centres outside the district towns.
Lakshmipur-3 seat has been Shahjahan Kamal, the Member of Parliament from this constituency passed away on 30 September.
