Upazila polls 34.33pc vote turnout: CEC

Staff Reporter :
Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal announced today that the fourth phase of the upazila parishad elections saw a turnout of 34.33pc. The voting took place across 60 upazilas.

Speaking at a press briefing held at the Nirbachan Bhaban in Agargaon, the capital city, the CEC revealed that a total of 721 candidates contested for 180 posts in the upazila parishad.

This included 251 chairman contenders, 265 vice-chairman candidates, and 205 women vying for the reserved vice-chairman positions. The election was conducted in 5,146 polling centers, where approximately 1.44 crore voters exercised their right to vote. Notably, five candidates were elected unopposed to three posts.

During the elections, the Election Commission reported that 28 individuals were arrested, nine were sentenced, and 21 were fined for various irregularities.

Earlier, Election Commission Secretary Shafiul Azim informed reporters that the initial voter turnout in the first four hours was around 17.31pc.

The CEC further informed that voting in 22 upazilas, which was postponed due to Cyclone Remal’s landfall on May 27, will now take place on June 9. The voting for the fourth phase began at 8:00 am and concluded at 4:00 pm without any interruptions.