The Election Commission is set to hold the second phase of the union council polls on Thursday amid a recent spate of disorder and violence surrounding the election.
Voting is scheduled to begin in the 846 unions at 8:00 am and will continue until 4:00 pm. The candidates vying for the post of chairman are running under party banners.
The commission has warned of 'strict action' to control any untoward situation, expressing its ‘worry’ and ‘concern’ over the violence in the run-up to the polls, reports bdnews24.com.
“The candidates have completed their campaigns. Now it’s time to vote. Election materials will be sent to the voting centres on Wednesday. All the arrangements for the election are complete,” said EC Additional Secretary Ashok Kumar Debnath.
The election organising body said it has increased field-level security measures in this phase to maintain order, despite some incidents of pre-election clashes in several places.
“The number of field-level executives has also been increased to supervise the electoral code of conduct,” the EC additional secretary said.
“We hope the situation will be under control at polling centres as the number of BGB personnel has also been increased in several places.”
A total of 3,310 candidates are vying for the chairman posts in the second phase of the UP election. Around 9,161 candidates are seeking reserved councillor posts for women, while 28,747 people are seeking to become members.
In addition to the Awami League, candidates from the Jatiya Party and others are taking part in the election. The BNP has declined to take part in the polls, so its candidates have run as independents.
Voting will be held at 20 union councils using electronic voting machines, while the rest will use paper ballots.
The commission also warned that candidates may be rejected if they resort to pre-election violence.
EC official Ashok Kumar Debnath also said that the commission will finalise the schedule of the fourth phase of the election on Wednesday.