Elections to 139 Upazila parishads begins today amid participation of a large number of expelled leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
Despite the stern stance, the BNP, which boycotts elections under the Awami League-led government, has failed to stop its leaders of different tiers from participating in the first phase of the staggered UZ polls.
As many as 79 leaders of the BNP are participating in the polls to be held in a non-partisan manner, according to the sources.
The Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal on Tuesday said all sorts of preparations had been taken to hold the elections in a free, fair and credible manner.
“The influence of the ministers and lawmakers will not stand as a major problem as they have been requested not meddle in the upazila parishad polls. Yet, if they try to meddle in the polls during the voting, immediate measures will be taken,” he told reporters at a briefing at the EC Secretariat.
“We will remain more alert during the voting day and all the elections will be monitored centrally,” he added.
Voting begins at 8:00 am and will continue till 4:00 pm without any break. Some 3 crore 14 lakh 68 thousand 102 voters will exercise their voting rights in 81,804 polling booths of 11,556 centres in the first phase.
The ruling camp has already decided not to field any candidate with its Boat symbol to make the elections a competitive one.
Seizing the opportunity, a large number of AL leaders, including the offspring and kin of MPs and ministers, are vying in the race.
Many fear violent activities in some upazilas as the offspring and kin of the lawmakers, ministers and influential leaders of the ruling party are participating in the upazila polls, defying the directives issued by top brass of the Awami League.
Sources at the Election Commission said that several units of intelligence agencies also feared violent activities in every phase of the four-phase polls.
Placing their findings, the intelligence agencies said that they fear violent activities in 78 places in the first phase.
Their apprehension reflects from the incidents of attacks and reports of guns at various upazilas.
Even on the last day of the poll campaign, some aspirants were beaten by the supporters of the rivals while influential leaders were issuing threats to the voters to cast votes in favour of their chosen candidates.
On Monday, supporters of AL Kushtia municipality unit general secretary Ataur Rahman Ata, also a cousin of AL joint general secretary Mahbub-ul Alam Hanif, allegedly carried out an attack on Abu Ahad Al Mamun, and was beaten. Both are running for the post of chairman
of Kushtia Sadar upazila. Ata, however, claimed that those who assaulted Mamun were not his supporters nor the members of the ruling Awami League.
Mozaffar Hossain, a former lawmaker of Jamalpur-5 constituency, on Sunday issued a threat to resist voters if they cast votes against Bijan Kumar Chanda, the general secretary of the AL Jamalpur district unit.
A clash took place between the supporters of two UZ chairman aspirants and police at Sujanagar in Pabna on Thursday, leaving at least 10 injured. Of the injured, two were bullet-hit.
At least four people were injured in another clash that occurred at Batazor in Gournadi upazila of Barishal district.
Against the backdrop, the Election Commission has been trying its best to hold the polls in a free, fair and credible manner.
Some 1,635 aspirants are competing in the first phase. Of them, 570 are vying for the post of chairman, 625 for vice chairman and 440 for female vice chairman.
A total of 418 platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) have already been deployed to avert any untoward incident during the elections.
“The BGB personnel will work as a mobile and striking force to maintain peace and order in the electoral areas of the upazilas from May 6 to 10 to assist the local administration under Aid to the Civil Power," said a press release issued on Tuesday.
Meanwhile, candidates for all the posts in- Hatiya, Munshiganj Sadar, Bagerhat Sadar, Parshuram and Shibchar upazillas have won unopposed, and so polling is not needed in these areas. Apart from this, the EC has suspended voting in three upazilas in the hill district of Bandarban and Sarishabari in Jamalpur.
Seventeen law enforcement personnel will be deployed in each general center while 18 to 19 personnel in the important centres to maintain the environment during polling.
Apart from this, 19 law enforcement officers will be deployed in general centres and 20 to 21 law enforcement personnel in important centres in special areas (hilly or remote areas), as per the decision of the EC.
Depending on the number of voters and the importance of the polling stations, 2 to 4 platoons of BGB will perform duty in each upazila.
The Coast Guard will act as a mobile and striking force in the islands of the coastal area.
A ban has been imposed on the movement of taxicabs, micro-buses, pickups, trucks, launches, engine-driven boats (except those plying specific routes) in the respective constituencies from 12:00 am today till 12:00 am tomorrow (Wednesday).
The existing ban on motorcycle movement will remain in force till Thursday midnight.
The public security department of the ministry of home affairs has issued instructions to the license holders not to travel with weapons or to carry and display them seven days before the polling and seven days after the polling.
