The first phase of upazila parishad elections was held on Wednesday amid clashes in some places, low voter turnout, and boycott by most opposition parties, including the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
Reports sent to the Election Commission from the field until 3:30pm, half an hour before the end of polling, showed that voter turnout was less than 20 per cent in many upazilas.
However, chief election commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal said in a post-poll press conference at the Nirbachan Bhaban in Dhaka that 30 to 40 per cent of votes were cast in the first phase of elections held in 139 upazilas.
鈥業t would have been better if there were more voters. It is not for the EC to see how much vote is cast,鈥� he said.
He added that 25 people were injured in the violence and clashes at various places.
鈥楳any could not come to the polling centres due to rain. In addition, now the season of rice harvesting is going on. Because of this, the vote is lower. That鈥檚 what we think,鈥� he said.
Election-related news was broadcast live in different media from the morning, showing empty polling stations in many upazilas.
抖阴精品 correspondents reported incidents of threats, irregularities, and unrest in聽 Khagrachari鈥檚 Lakshmichari, Bogura Sadar, Chapainawabganj鈥檚 Bholahat, Gaibandha鈥檚 Fulchhari, Madaripur Sadar, Sirajganj Sadar, and some other areas.
They reported low voter turnout in the morning and a marginal increase as the day progressed.
In some places, including Natore and Cox鈥檚 Bazar, polling stations were seen empty due to rain.
抖阴精品 correspondent in Narsingdi reported that at least five people were injured in a clash between supporters of two chairman candidates at a polling station in Narsingdi Sadar.聽
Polling remained suspended for about 40 minutes in that centre due to the clash at the Kakshia Govt Primary School Centre of Panchdona union of the upazila around 9:00am.
Four candidates 鈥� Anwar Hossain, Abdul Bakir, Md Jalil Hossain and Halima Habij 鈥� were competing for the post of chairman in the upazila.聽
Among them, the clash took place between the supporters of Anwar Hossain, former councillor of Madhabadi municipality and former organising secretary of the district Awami League, and Abdul Bakir, former chairman of Shilamandi union parishad and former organising secretary of the Sadar upazila unit of Awami League.
Police and local residents said that supporters of local Juba League leader Monir Mollah, a supporter of Abdul Bakir, occupied the centre and went to seal the ballot.
At that time, when the supporters of Anwar Hussain stopped them, a clash broke out.
Narsingdi additional police superintendent Shamsul Arefin said that they had quickly reached the spot on information and brought the situation under control.
抖阴精品 correspondent in Munshiganj reported that a union Parishad chairman and his supporters beat up a policeman and the local correspondent of Manabzamin newspaper at a centre in the district鈥檚 Gazaria upazila when voting was underway.
The incident happened at about 9:15am at the Bhobanipur Primary School polling centre under Hosendi union.
According to eyewitnesses, Hosendi union parishad chairman Monirul Haque Mithu, also a supporter of upazila Awami League president Amirul Haque, and Mithu鈥檚 followers beat up the police personnel outside the polling station as they were asked not to gather there.
When local Manabzamin Golzar Hossain tried to take a snap of the incident, they also beat him up and snatched away his camera.
Golzar Hossain alleged that Mithu and his supporters broke down his camera and deleted the video of the incident.
After the incident, Mithu along with his followers entered the centre and threatened to cut down the hands of journalists.
抖阴精品 Sylhet correspondent reported that a photojournalist was beaten by the supporters of a chairman at Sadar upazila in Sylhet on Wednesday afternoon while he was trying to take a photo of a youth detained for attempting to cast a fake vote.
Injured photojournalist Reza Rubel of the online news portal Sylhetpratidin24.com was admitted to Sylhet MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital after the incident, the news portal鈥檚 news editor Enamul Kabir said.聽
Local people said that a young man came to cast a fake vote at the polling centre of Ghopal Government Primary School at Tukerbazar union of the Sadar upazila at about 2:30pm.
An executive magistrate present at the spot ordered the youth to be detained once the polling officer concerned identified him as a fake voter, and he was kept confined to the presiding officer鈥檚 room.聽
After being informed, photojournalist Rubel moved to the presiding officer鈥檚 room and tried to take a photo of the detained youth.
But, the supporters of upazila chairman candidate Suzal Ali Rafik, vice-president of the district Awami League, swooped on the photographer, beating him indiscriminately to injure him, witnesses said.
They said that the victim鈥檚 colleagues later rescued him and took him to Sylhet Osmani Medical College Hospital.聽
The presiding officer of the polling centre, Abul Kalam Azad, confirmed the arrest of the fake voter but said he did not know anything about what happened outside the polling centre.
