Voicing dissatisfaction over low voter turnout, Jatiya Oikya Front Convener Dr Kamal Hossain has said voters are not coming to polling stations as they have no confidence in the election system.
“I’m not satisfied with the voter turnout. It takes a long time to cast vote. Among 2,600 voters, less than a hundred votes were cast by 10:30am,” he said on Saturday.
After casting his vote at Viqarunnisa Noon School and College voting centre, Kamal said one of the reasons behind the low turnout can be that voters lack confidence in the electoral system, reports UNB.
Kamal, also the president of Ganoforum, said he is receiving complaints that BNP agents are being driven out of and obstructed from entering polling centres while people are facing difficulties in casting votes.
Narrating his personal experience Dr kamal said it took him around 30 minutes to complete his voting process. “EVM is a complicated system,” he said. “I’m not sure people will come to polling centre to cast their votes since the process is so complex.”
He, however, urged voters to come to the polling centres and exercise their franchise.
Asked whether voters’ opinion will be reflected through the EVM, he said it is difficult to say anything right now.
It took him 30 minutes to cast vote as his finger print did not match. His vote was finally cast by assistant presiding officer Kawser Jahan. Election officers have been given a scope to override the EVM for only one per cent of the voters.
