The fourth phase of the country's sixth Upazila Parishad election was held in 60 upazilas in Bangladesh on Wednesday.
The voting began at 8am and continued till 4pm without any break and the vote counting has started.
However, polling in 20 upazilas postponed due to Cyclone Remal will be held on June 9.
Similar to the last three phases, no untoward incident happened in the polls this time as well. There were minor allegations of violence and irregularities in a couple of places, but it had no impact on the election. However, the voter turnout was as low as before.
Out of the country's 495 upazilas, 485 are participating in the four-phase voting process this time. The first phase of voting was held in 139 upazilas on May 8, with about 36% voter turnout, and 28 candidates elected unopposed. In the second phase, voting took place in 156 upazilas, where 22 candidates were elected unopposed and voter turnout was 38% on May 21. The third phase on May 29 saw a 36.24% voter turnout in 87 upazilas.
The Election Commission (EC) faced criticism after the record low turnout in the first phase. While the EC blamed factors such as farmers' paddy harvesting and rain, they hoped for an increase in voter turnout in subsequent phases.
However, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal identified the boycott by the BNP as the main reason for the low voter turnout in the following phases.
The ruling Awami League chose not to give party symbols or official nominations in the local government elections, leading to Awami League leaders running as independent candidates. Meanwhile, although a few BNP leaders contested as independent candidates, the party officially boycotted the Upazila Parishad polls.
In the fourth phase, one chairman, three vice-chairmen, and one female vice-chairman have already been elected unopposed in 60 upazilas. A total of 721 candidates are contesting in this election, including 251 for chairman, 265 for vice-chairman, and 205 for female vice-chairman. The total number of voters in 58 municipalities and 874 unions is 21,734,255.
For the election, the EC has imposed a ban on the movement of taxis, microbuses, pickups, trucks, launches, and engine boats (except those on specific routes) in the respective constituencies from midnight Tuesday to midnight Wednesday. Additionally, the movement of motorcycles has been banned from two days before the polling in the respective constituencies until midnight the day after the polling.