Barisal, Khulna Divisions
Polls to 148 UPs today
Election materials being despatched from Barisal election office to different polling centres yesterday, on the eve of today's election to 93 union parishads under 12 upazilas in Barisal division.Photo: STAR
All preparations are set as 93 unions in 12 upazilas of Barisal district, 39 unions in five upazilas of Khulna district and 16 unions in two upazilas of Bagerhat district go to union parishad (UP) elections today. Elections in 944 centres of 93 unions of 12 upazilas under Barisal division will be held today, the first day of the March 29-April 3 elections covering 294 out of 346 union parishads (UP) in Barisal division, reports our Barisal correspondent. Of the 944 centres, 247 are in 27 UPs of four upazilas in Barisal, 250 in 14 UPs of one upazila in Patuakhali, 93 at 10 UPs of one upazila in Pirojpur, 147 in 19 UPs of two upazilas in Bhola, 108 in 12 UPs of two upazilas in Jhalakathi and 99 centres in 11 UPs of two upazilas in Barguna district. Law enforcement agencies have marked 1724 out of 2636 vote centres in 294 unions of 40 upazilas under six districts of Barisal division as sensitive or risk-prone, said Dr Abdur Rahim, deputy inspector general (DIG) of police (Barisal Range). More than five thousand members of law enforcement agencies including police, Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and coastguard under 125 magistrates will be deployed to help conduct free, fair and peaceful elections to the 294 UPs from March 29 to April 3, he said. Over 18 thousand candidates for 294 chairmen, 2646 general ward members and 882 reserved member posts for women are contesting in this election, said Manirul Islam, acting deputy election commissioner in charge of Barisal division. Expressing hope to conduct free, fair and peaceful elections, EC officials urged all the candidates to help maintain law and order during the election and post election period, by accepting the results. Our staff correspondent reports from Khulna: Five lakh 95 thousand and 452 people are expected to exercise their right of franchise in 373 polling centres in today's elections in 39 unions of Batiaghata, Dakope, Digholia, Paikgachha and Koira upazilas under Khulna district. A total of 1,502 policemen and 502 Ansars were sent to polling centres on Sunday afternoon to maintain law and order to hold elections free and fair, said Khulna District Election Officer (DEO) Bibhore Kumar Biswas. Rab will do patrol duty in and around polling centres for the same purpose, he said. A total of 235 candidates are in the race for chairman posts, 1659 for posts of general members while 536 will vie for women's reserved seats of members in these 39 unions today, District Election Office sources said, adding that 373 presiding officers, 1,847 assistant presiding officers and 2,694 polling officers will be on duty during the election. Elections in 10 unions of Rampal upazila and six unions of Mongla upazila will also be held today. Meanwhile, 384 out of 686 polling centres of nine upazilas of Bagerhat district have been identified as vulnerable, said Bagerhat Superintendent of Police Khondaker Rafiqul Islam. District Election Officer Md Dulal Talukder said 390 candidates are running for the chairman posts, 2,958 for general members and 878 for the reserved posts for women in 75 unions of nine upazilas of the district. The number of voters is 857,146. They will elect 75 chairmen, 675 general members and 225 women members in reserved seats. Training was provided to 686 presiding officers, 5,518 assistant presiding officers and 8,277 polling officers, the DEO said.
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