The first phase of voting in 24 municipalities across the country has begun amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Ballots are being cast using electronic voting machines. The voting will continue until 4 pm amid concerns about voter turnout due to the virus outbreak, reports bdnews24.com.
Although two people were killed in election violence in Kushtia two days ago, Ashok Kumar Debnath, additional secretary to the Election Commission, hoped the situation would remain calm during the polls.
"The atmosphere is peaceful and the election situation is good. I hope it continues during the polls,” Ashok said on Sunday.
The lead-up to the local government elections this time has been relatively subdued due to the pandemic. As always, the polls will be mainly contested by the candidates of the ruling Awami League and the BNP.
Besides Awami League and the BNP, candidates from Jatiya Party, Islami Andolan Bangladesh and Jatiya Ganatantrik Party are also vying for the post of mayor in the municipal areas. Independent candidates are also taking part in the election.
Although there is competition among the candidates, no contradictory allegations have been recorded, said Ashok. Executive and judicial magistrates along with the members of various law enforcement agencies, including BGB, RAB, police and Ansar, are monitoring the elections.
Voting arrangements have been made across polling booths following safety guidelines amid the virus pandemic, said SM Asaduzzaman, public relations director of the Election Commission.
Asaduzzaman expects the voter turnout to be relatively good in the competitive local government elections.
In the first phase, there are 1161 contestants of which 94 are mayoral candidates, 801 general councillor candidates and 266 reserved councillor candidates.
