Thakurgaon-1 by-poll today

Voting in the Thakurgaon-1 by-election is scheduled to take place today, with 516,138 voters eligible to cast their ballots at 185 polling centres across the constituency.

Preparations for the election have been completed, with polling materials distributed among officials and security personnel deployed to maintain law and order.

The distribution of election materials began at noon yesterday at the Thakurgaon Government Boys’ High School ground, where polling officials and members of law enforcement agencies gathered to collect supplies for their respective centres.

Md Quamrul Islam, returning officer and district election officer, told the media that all necessary measures had been taken to ensure a peaceful and credible election. Voting is scheduled to run from 8am to 4pm in Thakurgaon Sadar, Bhulli and Ruhia upazilas.

A total of 185 presiding officers, 989 assistant presiding officers and 1,978 polling officers have been assigned election duties.

For security, 21 platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), 90 police teams and eight Special Reserve Force (SRF) teams have been deployed, alongside a dog squad and mobile and striking forces.
Six judicial teams will also perform duties during the election.

Five candidates are contesting the by-election.
BNP-backed Mirza Faisal Amin is contesting with the sheaf of paddy symbol, while Delawar Hosen, the candidate of the Jamaat-led 11-party alliance, is running with the scales symbol.

The other candidates are Khademul Islam, backed by Islami Andolan Bangladesh, with the hand fan symbol; Abdul Alim Nizami, backed by Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan, with the banyan tree symbol; and Bangladesh Congress candidate Muhammad Omar Farukh, with the green coconut symbol.

The seat fell vacant after former Thakurgaon-1 MP Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was elected president and took oath of office.