EC monitoring Dhaka-17 by-polls, elections of 2 municipalities through CCTV cameras

The Election Commission (EC) is keeping an eye on the Dhaka-17 by-polls and elections of Pirojpur Bhandaria and Jashore’s Benapole municipalities through CCTV cameras Monday (17 July, 2023) from the control room in Dhaka, UNB reports.

The Election Commission has set up 1,058 CCTV cameras, including 853 for Dhaka-17 constituency, to monitor the elections, said EC sources.

Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal; Election Commissioners Brigadier General (retd) Ahsan Habib Khan, Rasheda Sultana, Md Anisur Rahman; Additional Secretary Ashok Kumar Debnath; NID Director General AKM Humayun Kabir; and IDEA-2 Project Director Brigadier General Abul Hasnat Mohammad Sayem have been monitoring the polls since this morning.

Election monitoring is being done by installing two CCTV cameras in each polling station.

No untoward incident has been reported in the election so far.

Voting in Dhaka-17 constituency and election in seven municipalities of seven districts started at 8:00 am, and it will continue till 4:00 pm without any break.

In the Dhaka-17 constituency, eight candidates are running in the race to be elected member of the parliament. The seat comprising Gulshan, Banani, Baridhara and part of Dhaka Cantonment fell vacant after the death of popular actor and freedom fighter Akbar Hossain Pathan Farooque on 14 May this year.

A total of 33 mayoral candidates are running for seven posts, while 102 female contestants for 21 reserve seats and 364 contenders for 63 general councillor posts in the seven municipalities.