Voting at seven centres – six in Kurigram and one in Sirajganj – has been suspended over allegations of rigging, ballot paper snatching and other irregularities during the first of five phase elections under the fifth upazila parisad election.
Three election officials – a presiding officer and two assistant presiding officers – were detained for their alleged involvement with the alleged irregularities in the Sirajganj voting centre.
However, none is reported to have been detained in Kurigram, where as many as six voting centres were closed after the polling misdeeds.
Sirajganj Returning Officer Abdul Hossain said he suspended polling at a centre of Sadar upazila around 2:30am on Friday, around five and a half hours before the voting started.
Kurigram Kurigram Returning Officer Hafiz Uddin said he suspended voting at six centres of various upazilas of the district due to rigging, ballot paper snatching and other irregularities by 11:00am.
Voting in 5,847 centres in 78 upazilas of 12 districts began at 8:00am and will continue till 4:00pm without any break.
Over 14.2 million people are expected to exercise their voting rights in the first of five-phase election under the fifth upazila parisad election.
The first upazila parisad election was held in 1985, the second in 1990, the third, with a gap of 19 years instead of regular five years, in 2009, and the fourth and last in 2014.