No referendum in Bogura-6, Sherpur-3 polls

The Election Commission (EC) has said there will be no referendum in the upcoming by-election to the vacant Bogura-6 constituency and the election in Sherpur-3.

EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed disclosed the decision on Wednesday after a meeting with representatives of law enforcement and intelligence agencies at the EC secretariat in Agargaon, Dhaka, to review the overall law and order situation ahead of the polls, reports the media.

Speaking to reporters afterwards, Akhtar Ahmed said voting in Bogura-6 and Sherpur-3 will be held on 9 April from 7:30am to 4:30pm without interruption.

He said a referendum had previously been conducted in Bogura, and the number of referendum votes in Sherpur-3 would not affect the election outcome.

“For that reason, the matter of holding a referendum there was not taken into consideration,” he said. Security arrangements for the polls will follow the same deployment framework used during the national election held on 12 February, he added.

Members of the Ansar force will be deployed for eight days during the election period, while Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), the army and other law enforcement agencies will operate according to their schedules.

Election inquiry committees and executive magistrates have already begun field-level work, and no alarming information has been reported so far.

The EC also plans to expand technological measures, including greater use of body-worn cameras and security apps. Previously, one camera was used at each polling station, but more may be deployed depending on the needs of returning officers and law enforcement agencies.

Two types of postal ballots – Out-of-Country Ballot (OCB) and In-Country Ballot (ICB) – will be used. OCB ballots will begin being sent to expatriate voters from today, while postal voting inside the country is expected to start around 23 or 24 March.

Since the number of polling centres is relatively small – 150 in one constituency and 28 in the other – the EC expects to announce results quickly after counting, including postal ballots.

According to the EC schedule, scrutiny of nomination papers by returning officers was held on 5 March. Appeals could be filed from 6 to 10 March, while disposal of appeals was scheduled for yesterday. The deadline for withdrawal of candidature is 14 March, and election symbols will be allocated on 15 March.