Photo: Messenger
The first phase of the upazila parishad elections will be held across the country today while the Election Commission (EC) and various quarters fear that there will be violence.
Ahead of the polls, there have already been conflicts while directives from the central command of the two main parties have been ignored. The ruling Awami League did not allocate the boat symbol in the polls to protect party discipline while the BNP has boycotted the elections expressing no confidence.
Out of the 44 political parties, only four have fielded candidates for the post of chairman. Eight candidates from four parties – Jatiya Party, JP, JSD, and Workers Party – are contesting with party symbols.
The EC has already completed all preparations to hold the elections in a free, fair, and peaceful environment. It has taken a strict position to maintain a peaceful atmosphere during voting.
In this phase, out of 141 upazilas, 22 will have electronic voting machines (EVMs) and the rest will have ballots. A total of 1,635 candidates are contesting. Among them, there are 570 candidates for the post of chairman, 625 for vice-chairman, and 440 for female vice-chairman.
In the first phase, 3 crore 14 lakh 68 thousand 102 voters will exercise their right to vote in 81,804 booths at 11,556 centres. Among them, there are 1 crore 60 lakh 2 thousand 224 male voters, 1 crore 54 lakh 65 thousand 690 female voters, and 188 Hijra voters. Voting will start from 8am and continue till 4pm.
The EC has already warned ministers and MPs that if they work in their constituencies to back any candidate, action will be taken. The anti-vote campaigns of the BNP and Awami League men defying the directives of the party chief have put the EC in a bind.
Various election monitoring organisations will monitor the environment of voting. Diplomats of different countries are also keeping an eye on the elections.
There is intelligence information that there will be a tough contest among the candidates. Politically influential people are making efforts to ensure the victory of their chosen candidates and conflicts may arise any time. 1,59,874 members of Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Force have been deployed across the country along with 418 platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) while police, RAB, and other forces in plainclothes will also be there to maintain law and order.
Sources at the field level say that even though there are no party symbols in this election, the influence of the two parties is still strong. It is feared that force will be applied at the last minute in local politics for victory.
Ministers and MPs are spreading influence in different parts of the country. The top leaders of the party have become obstacles to maintaining order. They could not be stopped even by central directives. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said in the last parliamentary board meeting of the party that she wants to see that the upazila elections are held in a festive atmosphere and the elections should be kept free of influence. “We want upazila elections to be free, fair and impartial. Whoever wins the vote will hold the post.”
However, it is believed that most of the leaders will not obey the party chief’s instructions in the end. Police on Monday arrested six people, including five presiding officers, on charges of holding a secret meeting on behalf of a candidate to influence the election in Sirajganj. In this incident, 10 presiding officers have been cancelled and 10 new ones have been appointed by the returning officer. A case has been filed against 20 people.
On the other hand, apart from distributing leaflets for boycotting polls, the BNP is expelling the leaders and activists who participated in the elections by defying the party decision. It is urging party loyalists and other voters not to come to polling stations. But ignoring the party instructions, grassroots BNP leaders and activists are trying their best to encourage voters to go to the polling stations.
BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said that this is a dummy and farcical election, urging voters not to go to the polling stations. People will not participate in voting, he said.
Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said that those disobeying party instructions in the upazila elections will not be spared. Action will be taken against those who cause disturbances centring the elections, he said.
Election Commissioner Rashida Sultana said that the upazila parishad elections will be completely free from influence. If any influential person exerts influence in this election, the EC will take necessary action against him as per the rules, he added.
Messenger/Disha
