By-polls to 6 JS seats underway amid stray incidents

Voting in the by-polls to the six parliamentary seats — left vacant after BNP MPs resigned —is going on amid some stray incidents today.

Voting began at 8:30 am and will continue till 4:30 pm, said SM Asaduzzaman, Joint Secretary of the Election Commission.

The six constituencies are: Thakurgaon-3, Bogura-4 and 6, Chapainawabganj-2, 3 and Brahmanbaria-2.

Electronic voting machines (EVMs) are being used in the by-elections.

However, no CCTV cameras have been installed in the polling centers, he added.

Forty aspirants are vying in the 6 constituencies for MP post.

In Chapainawabganj, a chase and counter-chase happened between supporters of two candidates at the District Ideal High School Centre around 9 am.

A scuffle took place between the supporters of independent candidate Samiul Haque Liton and Awami League backed candidate Abdul Wadud at the polling station -- triggering a chase and counter-chase, said Additional Superintendent of Chapainawabganj Police, Abul Kalam Shaheed.

However, police brought the situation under control. A crude bomb was seized from the spot.

Voting in the by-election for Brahmanbaria-2 (Sarail-Ashuganj) constituency was going on peacefully amid low voter turnout till filing of this report around noon.

Abu Asif Ahmed, an expelled leader of BNP and an independent candidate, still remains missing since Friday.

Some 1,100 police have been deployed at the polling stations while four platoons of BGB members, nine teams of RAB, nine mobile teams of police, and four striking teams were also performing their duties to maintain the law and order situation.

A total of 22,55,217 people are expected to exercise their franchise in 867 polling centers.

Meanwhile, the government on Tuesday announced a public holiday on Wednesday in the election areas on the occasion of the by-elections.

Earlier on December 10, 2022 at a public rally, parliamentarians of BNP announced their resignation from the JS. The next day, on December 11, Chapainawabganj-2 lawmaker Md Aminul Islam, Bogura-4 lawmaker Md.

Mosharraf Hossain, Bogura-6 lawmaker Golam Mohammad Siraj, and Thakurgaon-3 lawmaker Zahidur Rahman resigned from the parliament.

Two other BNP lawmakers — Advocate Abdus Sattar of Brahmanbaria-2 constituency and Harun-or-Rashid of Chapainawabganj-3 — resigned from the parliament later.