Peaceful, yet fails to enthuse people

As elsewhere in the country, the first-ever zila parishad polls in Chittagong and Lalmonirhat were held peacefully yesterday.

However, the process to elect the zila parishad chairmen and councillors hardly brought any enthusiasm among the public as only elected representatives of the local government bodies -- upazila parishads, union parishads, municipalities and city corporations -- not the general people, were the voters.

Besides, many of the candidates were elected uncontested.

Our Chittagong Correspondent reports: As many as 2706 electorates cast their votes in the zila parishad election in the district, the cast vote being around 95 percent.

Forty-one candidates vied for 10 general seats and 12 contested in three reserved seats for women, said Khorshed Alam, assistant returning officer.

The chairman, four general members and two members in reserved seats for women were elected uncontested, while the Election Commission postponed polls of general seat No 13 in Banshkhali upazila upon a High Court order, election office sources said.

Our Lalmonirhat Correspondent reports: A total of 626 voters in the district cast their votes at 15 polling centres in yesterday's zila parishad polls.

Sixty-six candidates, including three for chairman, 49 for general members and 14 for reserved seats for women, contested.

Azizur Rahman Tuhin, a voter, also councillor of ward No 4 in Lalmonirhat municipality, said, "All the 12 councillors along with our mayor cast our votes at the same time around 12:30pm."

However, other than law enforcers and journalists, very few people were seen around the polling centres.