After a wait of 13 years, polling was held peacefully in five Union Parishads under Sadar Upazila of the district on Sunday.
The five unions are Dakshin Hamchadi, Dalal Bazar, Bangakha, Laharkandi, and Tewariganj. Voters cast their votes from 8:00am to 4:00pm on the day.
The last polling in these unions took place on June 27, 2011. Since then, no elections have been held due to boundary disputes and legal issues with the municipality.
A total of 28 chairman candidates from the ruling Awami League are contesting the elections to the five union parishads with no candidates from the BNP. Additionally, 63 reserved female members and 225 male candidates are also taking part in the polls.
The total number of voters is 122,228 -- 64,068 men, 58,858 women and 2 Hijra voters. Law enforcement agencies such as BGB, police, and RAB have been deployed to ensure security and prevent any untoward incidents.
Despite the intense heat, a large number of voters turned up at the polling stations since morning. However, there was a heat-related incident when Rahima Khatun, 60, suffered from heat stroke at Hossainpur Government Primary School in Tewariganj Union and collapsed. She was later rescued by BGB members and taken to the local health center.
Photo Caption: Despite the boiling heat, a large crowd of voters gather at the Sadar Upazila Abirnagar S.P.B. polling center in Lakshmipur.
