Chattogram-10 by-polls: Voting underway

Voting is underway in the by-polls of Chattogram-10 constituency, reports UNB. The turnout of voters was low in the morning, and no untoward incident has been reported in the election.

The Election Commission (EC) is observing the Chattogram-10 by-polls through CCTV cameras from the control room in Dhaka.

The Election Commission has set up 1,563 CCTV cameras at 156 centres to monitor the elections, said EC sources.

Farhad Ahmad Khan, joint secretary at the election management section of the EC, said voting is underway using electronic voting machines (EVMs).

Election monitoring is being done by installing two CCTV cameras in each polling station. Voting in the Chattogram-10 constituency started at 8:00am, and will continue till 4:00pm without any break.

Total six candidates are contesting in the by-polls of Chattogram-10. The seat comprising Double Mooring, Pahartali and Halishahar fell vacant following the death of MP Afsarul Amin on 2nd June this year.

Awami League-backed candidate Md Mohiuddin Bachhu is contesting with the symbol ‘boat’, Jatiya Party’s Md Samsul Alam with ‘plough’, Trinaomool BNP’s Dipak Kumar Palit with ‘golden fibre’, Bangladesh Sanskritik Muktijot’s Rashid Miah with stick, and independent candidates Md Arman Ali and Manjurul Islam Bhuiyan with ‘balloon’ and ‘rocket’ respectively.

At each polling station, three members of the police, two members of the Ansar will remain deployed throughout the election. Moreover, 10 Ansar members and a village police will be there as well.

Plus, there will be one more police officer and two village police personnel deployed in the vulnerable centres.

Eight mobile teams and four mobile striking teams from the police, four teams from Rapid Action Battalion, and four platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members are performing duties during the election.

Meanwhile, two judicial magistrates along with 12 other executive magistrates will remain deployed to conduct mobile court.

A total of 488,633 voters are expected to cast their votes in the by-polls.