Amidst tight security of law enforcers, about 60% votes were cast in a free and fair poll in Nawabganj upazila under the capital during the first phase of upazila election yesterday, according to returning and presiding officers of different centres.
At the end of the poll, Md Abul Khaleque, presiding officer of Government Kaykobad Girls’ High School polling centre, said: “About 62% votes were cast, and the exact figure could be said after counting the ballots.”
“The casting of votes was 30-35% up to 1pm, but after midday, voters’ turnout was noticeable,” he added.
The voters, polling agents and supporters of all candidates, presiding officers and returning officers of most polling centres said they had no allegations about the casting of votes in the polls.
Visiting different polling centres at Agla Choukighata Janamongol High School, Pathkanda Government Primary School and Bardhanpara Government Primary School the Dhaka Tribune correspondent found that polls ended satisfactorily.
Women voters – Shanta Begum, Hiron, Parul, Rina Aktar at Kaykobad Girls’ High School polling centre, said they cast their votes without facing any problems.
A large number of Army, BGB, RAB, Police and Ansar personnel were patrolling the roads in Nawabganj during poll.
Despite a violence-free outlook from the polling centres in the upazila, looting of ballot paper could not be stopped yesterday.
Police said a group of supporters of the ruling party-backed candidate came to Darikandi and Majhikandi polling centres and looted about 1,000 ballot papers.
Police and Ansar members posted at the centres failed to stop the looting.
After the incident, voting was temporarily suspended, and it resumed sometime afterwards.
The law enforcers, however, recovered 224 ballot papers with a seal of Darikandi and 100 sealed ballot papers of Majhirkandi, but failed to detain any.
Contacted, Sheikh Muhammad Habibur Rahman, assistant returning officer of Nawabganj upazila, admitted the fact. He told the Dhaka Tribune, “A gang of young thugs came to the two poll centres and looted the ballots.”
“The criminals looted 500 ballot papers from the Majhirpara centre in the afternoon. The lawmen recovered 100 ballot papers which were sealed on the motorcycle symbol of Nasir Uddin Ahmed Jhilu,” he said.
Answering to a question about the Daripara centre, Habur Rahman said, “I have just heard the allegation, but did not get information from the presiding officers of the centre.”
In 14 unions of Nawabganj upazila, there are 2,27,220 voters, of which 1,08,816 are male and 1,18404 female.
Only four candidates were contesting the polls. They were Awami League-backed Nasir Uddin Ahmed Jhilu with motorcycle symbol, another AL-backed candidate Sheikh Hannan with horse symbol, BNS-backed Khandakar Abu Ashfaq with ink-pot symbol and Jatiya Party-backed Masud Khan with cup-saucer symbol vying for the election.