45% voters cast votes till 2 pm in Rangpur city polls: CEC

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal on Tuesday said 45 percent voters have cast their votes till 2 pm in the Rangpur City Corporation election.

“We have got some allegations of slow voting due to electronic voting machines (EVMs) but all the voters at the centers will be allowed to exercise their franchise till night if needed,” he said while talking to reporters at Election Commission Bhaban.

The Election Commission is monitoring the election through CC cameras from a control room.

Election Commissioners Brig. General (retd) Ahsan Habib Khan, Md Alamgir, Anisur Rahman, Squadron leader Shahrier Alam were present at the control room and observing the whole situation as already 1,807 CC cameras have been installed at the polling booths.

Voting in Rangpur City Corporation began on Tuesday morning using electronic voting machines (EVMs) at 229 centres.

Nine candidates were vying for the mayoral post while 183 people are contesting for councillor posts under 33 wards. Sixty-eight candidates are contesting the polls for 11 reserved seats, said Returning Officer Abdul Baten.

The mayoral candidates are: Amiruzzaman from Islami Andolon Bangladesh, Abu Raihan from Bangladesh Congress, Touhidur Rahman Mandal from Khelafat Majlish, Mostafizur Rahman from Jatiya Party, Shafier Rahman from Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, Hosne Ara Lutfa Dalia from Awami League, Khorshed Alam from Zaker Party, Mehedi Hasan and Latifur Rahman as independent candidates.

This year, a total of 4,26,470 voters are expected to vote in the city corporation election.

Mobile court drives were being conducted to ensure that the election code is followed, he said.

Campaigning in the Rangpur City Corporation election ended on Sunday midnight amid much enthusiasm.

A total of 229 presiding officers, 1,349 assistant presiding officers and 2,698 polling officers are performing their duties to maintain order in the voting centres.

The first Rangpur City Corporation election was held on December 21, 2017. The tenure of the current mayor will expire on February 18, 2023.