There were allegations of vote rigging and theft in a number of union parishads under different districts where voting took place on Wednesday.
In Chittagong, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) recovered a gun, 16 cricket stumps, and eight helmets from a spot close to a polling centre in Banshkhali Upazila.
Voting took place through EVMs in 13 UPs under Banshakhali. RAB went to a centre under Chhanua UP in the morning and seized the gun, stumps and helmets. Local people alleged that the items seized had been brought to the centre to create anarchy.
Meanwhile, chairman candidate in Saral UP Salauddin Kader alleged that his agents were forced out of polling centres in the morning by supporters of ruling party candidates.
Voting began at 8am and continued till 4pm.
A UP chairman candidate was reportedly attacked by supporters of the boat symbol in Noakhali Senbagh Upazila's Mohammadpur Union.
Opposition agents were reportedly beaten up and evicted from the poll center.
In Hatia, independent candidate Mushfiqur Rahman Morshed boycotted the polls over allegations of irregularities in Horoni UP.
At noon, he alleged that ruling party men were casting their votes through EVMs in favour of their candidate and that his agents had been forced out of the booths.
In Brahmanbaria Sadar Upazila, police detained 37 people on charges of vote rigging yesterday. They were detained from different polling stations, police said.
In Meherpur, a female UP member was detained for seeking votes for a ruling party candidate after she entered a polling centre in Baradi UP.
Sufia Khatun Gangni was detained from Kolaidanga Government Primary School at around 10am.
In Rangamati, a voter brought allegations of vote rigging against a presiding officer. The allegations were brought against assistant presiding officer Saleh Ahmed while voting was underway at Boroichhori Karnaphuli Nurul Huda Kaderi High School under Chandraghona UP.
The presiding officer, however, denied the allegations.
In Tangail, 18 UPs went to the polls yesterday. Voters made their way to the polling centres in the rain.
In Bhola, election officials were present at Government Boys High School in Hazipur Union under Daulatkhan Upazila. The whole UP area had gone under water in 2020.
Three candidates contested in the election for the chairman post, 23 for members’ positions and 13 for reserved seats.
The school is the only place in the union that still exists. So voting took place here for all voters under Ward No 9. Yesterday, some voters came from nearby areas to cast their votes.
Upazila Nirbahi Officer Tareq Hawlader said the authorities had no official data on the latest status of Hazipur Union.
“It exists on paper. The Upazila administration has nothing to do when the Election Commission declares a schedule,” he added.
District Election Official Syed Shafiqul Haque blamed the EC for the blunder.
“The EC did not collect information on the area before declaring the polls schedules. It only considered the fact that the tenure of the previous UP had expired.
“The Local Government Division should have given a report to the EC on the matter,” he added.
