Voting begins in DNCC, DSCC polls

The voting in Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) and Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC) has begun.

This is the first ever City Corporation polls in the country where the electronic voting machines (EVMs) are being used instead of ballot papers.

The voting began at 8:00am and will continue till 4:00pm without any interval.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina, also the chief of ruling Awami League, has cast her vote in the DSCC election at the Dhaka City College polling centre around 8:00am.

Thirteen contestants are vying for mayoral posts of the two city corporations.

The voters will elect two mayors, 129 ward councilors and 43 women councilors for reserved seats in two city corporations.

Six mayoral candidates, including AL nominated Atiqul Islam and BNP’s Tabith Awal, are contesting the DNCC polls while seven contenders, including AL’s Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh and BNP’s Ishraque Hossain, will fight in the Dhaka south.

More than 5.45 million voters -- 3,010,273 in DNCC and 2,453,194 in DSCC—can cast votes at 2,468 polling stations across the city.

Election materials, including EVMs, were distributed from 16 venues for 2,468 polling stations in the two city corporations on Saturday.

A total of 28,868 EVMs will be used in the 14,434 booths.

Security has been beefed up across the city to ensure peaceful voting.