During the 13th national parliamentary election, Dhaka-17’s slum areas, including much-talked Korail slum, witnessed a heavy turnout of voters at two prominent polling centres. The constituency has around 45,000 registered voters, with one centre for women at Banani Model School and another for men at Banani T&T Boys High School. Each centre hosts four separate polling booths.
On Thursday (February 12) around 12:30 pm, reporters observed large crowds at every booth, with long queues extending from the fourth floor of the buildings down to the open grounds.
Law enforcement officials were struggling to manage the crowd. Many voters complained that the voting process was very slow, although election officials maintained that polling was proceeding at a normal pace.
At the women’s center in Banani Model School, Presiding Officer Ismail Hossain informed Dhaka Tribune that out of 3,246 registered voters at the center, 795 had cast their votes by mid-day. There are four additional booths at this center.
Nearby, the men’s polling center at Banani T&T Boys High School also saw a large turnout. Presiding Officer Asaduzzaman Ani said that out of 3,415 registered voters at his booth, slightly over 1,100 had voted by 12 pm. Another booth, number 58, reported 1,150 votes cast out of 3,000 registered voters, according to Presiding Officer Zahidur Rahman. Details from the other booths were not immediately available.
Local voters expressed frustration over the slow pace. Mohabbat Ali, a resident of Korail Basti and voter at T&T Boys High School, said he had been standing in line for a long time without being able to vote, adding, “Even though there’s no trouble, I don’t understand why the process is so slow.”
Similarly, Monika Rani, a female voter from Beltola in Korail Basti at Banani Model School, said she had been waiting for over an hour without casting her vote, and was unsure about the reason for the delay.
Presiding Officer Ismail Hossain explained, “Due to the high voter turnout, people have to wait a little longer.”
