Upazila polls also see low voter turnout

The opposition parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), boycotted the upazila polls. The election was mostly a competition between several Awami League (AL) candidates. However, all these factors have been overshadowed by the low voter turnout in the upazila polls.

There were reports of some sporadic clashes during the first phase of the upazila polls on Wednesday. There were also allegations of ministers and MPs exerting influence in their areas, forgery, exerting force on voters and handing out money to buy votes.

Clashes and counter-clashes were reported at different polling centres in Madaripur Sadar, Gajaria in Munshiganj, Shalla in Sunamganj and Subarnachar in Noakhali. There were reports of crude bombs being exploded and brickbats hurled during these incidents. The law enforcement had to fire tear gas shells and rubber bullets to bring the situation under control at some of these polling centres.

Meanwhile, two assistant presiding officers were exempted from their duties on the allegation of irregularities. Two others, including a presiding officer, were detained by the police in another centre of the district.

However, the upazila poll was mainly overshadowed by the low voter turnout everywhere. The polling centres were almost empty throughout the day. There were no queues of voters at any of the centres. The officials, police and members of Ansar and VDP passed time idly.

As of 12:30 am, names of winning chairman candidates in a total of 122 upazilas had been declared and some 101 of them were from the Awami League.

A total of 44 political parties are registered with the Election Commission (EC). Around 12 candidates from the Jatiya Party, JP, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JASHOD) and Workers Party have contested the upazila polls with their respective party symbols.

The ruling AL refrained from fielding party nominated candidates to ensure competition and a good voter turnout. However, in all upazilas several AL leaders contested each other as independent candidates.

Names of Awami League candidates and their supporters came in all the reports of exerting influence, tensions during campaigns and main competition ahead of the upazila polls.

Voting to some 139 upazilas was held in the first phase on Wednesday. As many as 28 candidates, including eight chairman candidates, won the election uncontested. Almost all of them are leaders and activists or supporters of the Awami League.

Chief election commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal estimated some 30 per cent to 40 per cent voter turnout in the upazila polls. Speaking to the newspersons at the Nirbachan Bhaban (election building) in the capital’s following the end of voting yesterday, he said some untoward incidents took place during the elections and 37 people involved with 34 such incidents were detained while polling was postponed in two centres.

Earlier, the EC informed that some 15 to 20 per cent votes were cast in the first four hours, from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm Wednesday, in the first phase of upazila parishad elections. And only 7-8 per cent votes were cast in the first two hours, according to the EC.

Referring to the low voter turnout, the CEC said, “We were informed that many people could not come to cast their vote as they went to harvest their paddy. There were storms and rains at some places. That also could be another reason”

However, he made no remark on whether he was satisfied with the voter turnout or not.

Analysing the previous upazila elections, it is found that all the major political parties took part in the first four editions of the upazila polls. The voter turnout was also quite high in these elections. In 2019, the opposition parties, including the BNP, boycotted the upazila polls. The voter turnout was 40.22 per cent that time. Several major political parties, including the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and Islami Andolan boycotted the upazila elections this time too.

The 12th national parliamentary election was held on 7 January this year amid boycott from the opposition. To ensure a good voter turnout and a competitive election, the AL gave its leaders an opportunity to run for the polls independently against the party nominated candidates.

According to the EC, the voting rate of the national election was 41.8 per cent. The EC is holding the upazila polls within four months of the parliamentary polls. Voting to a total of 450 upazilas will be held in four phases this time. The last phase of voting will be held on 5 June.

The first edition of the upazila polls with candidates contesting with party symbols in 2019 saw some 40.22 per cent voter turnout. The upazila polls were held in five phases at that time. The voters’ growing indifference towards election is a bad omen for democracy, the opposition leaders say.

The voter turnout was around 61 per cent in the fourth edition of upazila polls in 2014 and voting was held in six phases that time. Some 68.32 per cent votes were cast in the third upazila polls held on 22 January 2009 right after the AL-led Grand Alliance came into power around one and a half decades ago. That means voter turnout has declined exponentially in the last two upazila polls which started following the election-boycott BNP and other opposition parties for the first time in 2019.

As many as 75 candidates from the BNP ran for the posts of upazila chairman, vice-chairman and women vice-chairman defying party decisions. The BNP has already expelled them.

Most of the allies under the AL-led 14-Party Alliance remain mostly inactive during the upazila polls. Some local leaders from one or two of these parties have become candidates in some of the upazilas.

Willing to be unnamed, a top leader of an allied party under the 14-Party alliance told Prothom Alo that they don’t have enough money, influence, muscle power and manpower to compete with the AL in the elections. Besides, the administration doesn’t care that much about leaders of parties other than the Awami League. So there is no benefit in contesting the polls, he added.

The ruling Awami League is not unhappy with the first phase of the upazila polls. The party policymakers feel a 40 per cent voter turnout is enough for an election without the participation of opposition parties, including the BNP. Rather, they are considering it a big success that there wasn't any major incident of electoral violence or any report of casualties during the first phase. They are expecting more voters in the next phases.

Addressing a press conference at the Dhanmondi party office, AL general secretary Obaidul Quader said, “A 30-40 per cent voter turnout is satisfactory. Many had feared violence during the upazila polls. However, the election was held in a peaceful environment without any casualty.”

However, the election observers believe although the election was held peacefully, people don’t have confidence in the electoral system of the country. As a result, the voting rate has declined even in the local government polls.

Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (SHUJAN) secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar told Prothom Alo, “There was a time when reports of Bangladeshi women casting votes in groups used to be big news in world media. Now, the voters have lost interest due to their lack of confidence in the electoral system of the country as they have doubts whether they will be able to cast votes or whether their votes will be counted or not.”

“The election boycott from the opposition parties also played a big role behind the declining voter turnouts in elections one after another. These parties mainly boycotted the polls as they don’t have confidence in the EC and the electoral system. That's bad news for democracy,” he said.