Polling in the Thakurgaon-1 by-election concluded without any reported violence or disorder on Thursday, with voting ending at around 4:30pm after starting at 8am.
The constituency covers Thakurgaon Sadar, Ruhia and Bhulli. Vote counting began immediately after polling ended.
Voter turnout was relatively low in the morning but increased toward noon, according to observations at several polling centers across the constituency. Reports from different centers indicated that around 50-60% of votes had been cast by noon.
At Krishnapur Government Primary School polling center in Ward 8 of Rahimnagar Union, presiding officer Saiful Islam said around 40% of votes had been cast by 12:30pm.
Voters Farazul Islam of Paikpara village and Farhad Hossain of Prostampur village said they had cast their ballots in a peaceful environment and described voter turnout as good.
At Polling Centre No 112 at Raipur Government Primary School in Election Area 3 of Thakurgaon Sadar upazila, around 55% of votes had been cast by 1:30pm.
Promila, a voter from the Raipur area, said she had come to vote with her husband, while her son and daughter-in-law had voted in the morning. Another voter from the same area, Madhai Chandra, also arrived with his wife to cast his ballot.
However, Abdul Latif, a voter from Gobindanagar, said he faced difficulties at Thakurgaon Government Polytechnic Institute while helping his ailing wife, Sharifa Begum, cast her vote.
He said he struggled to take her to the second floor and argued that polling booths for sick voters and people with mobility difficulties should not have been placed there.
Mobile court fines Jamaat leader, 3 alleged fake voters detained
A mobile court fined Abdul Karim, president of the Jamaat-e-Islami Ward 1 unit in Jagannathpur Union of Thakurgaon Sadar upazila, Tk5,000 for allegedly distributing leaflets at JP School polling center in the Jagannathpur area around noon.
He faces 1 month of simple imprisonment if he fails to pay the fine.
Meanwhile, law enforcement agencies detained 3 alleged fake voters at Danarhat Ansaria Fazil Madrasa polling center in Thakurgaon Sadar around noon on Thursday.
The detainees were identified as Himel and Siam, second-year students of the Alim program, and Minhaj, a first-year Alim student at the madrasa.
5 candidates contest seat
A total of 516,138 voters are eligible to vote in the by-election, which is being held at 185 polling centers across Thakurgaon Sadar, Ruhia and Bhulli, with 989 polling booths.
Five candidates are contesting the seat: BNP's Mirza Faisal Amin; Md Delawar Hossain, backed by the 11-party alliance led by Jamaat-e-Islami; Hafez Dr Md Khademul Islam of Islami Andolan Bangladesh; Md Abdul Alim Nizami of Bangladesh Khelafat Andolan; and Husain Muhammad Omar Faruk of Bangladesh Congress.
Extensive security measures have been deployed by law enforcement agencies and the administration. Around 5,300 law enforcement personnel are on duty, and closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras have been installed at all polling centers.
BNP candidate Mirza Faisal Amin said voting was taking place in a festive atmosphere.
“Undoubtedly, voting is taking place in a festive atmosphere. Every voter is my voter. All voters in this area want to cast their votes peacefully. Despite this being a by-election, a large turnout has been observed. I still believe that the voters' opinions are final,” he said.
Md Delawar Hossain, the candidate backed by the 11-party alliance, said the election's credibility depended on the government and those responsible for conducting it, as the vote was being held under a party-led government.
“Since this election is being held under a party-led government, it depends entirely on the government and those responsible for conducting the election. If the government, administration and election officials act sincerely, they can deliver a free and fair election. If they fail, the public will lose confidence in future local elections and other elections held under party-led governments, and people will lose interest in elections,” he said.
Thakurgaon Superintendent of Police Belal Hossain said voting began peacefully at all 185 polling centers at 8am.
He said all centers were being monitored through online body-worn cameras and equipped with CCTV cameras, adding that polling had proceeded peacefully across the constituency.