Voting for the by-bolls of the Chittagong-8 constituency through electronic voting machines (EVMs) ended peacefully at 4pm.
The polling began at 8am on Thursday, and authorities said no untoward incidents were reported.
A resident named Alauddin, who came to cast a vote at Mohammadia Government Primary School in the city, complained that the EVMs were causing some problems, and hence the voting process was slow.
Returning Officer Mohammad Hasanuzzaman said the voting went smoothly. “No major incident has been reported. Action will be taken if complaints are received.”
Meanwhile, Chittagong Metropolitan Police (CMP) Commissioner Krishna Pada Roy visited the polling stations at Chandgaon CDA Public School and College in the afternoon.
He told reporters that the polling was going on smoothly, and they have not received any complaints.
“Polling is going on in a beautiful environment. We hope the environment will remain like this,” he added.
The election had five candidates from the ruling Awami League and other smaller political parties.
They are Noman Al Mahmud in boat symbol, Syed Muhammad Farid Uddin of Bangladesh Islamic Front in chair symbol, Sehab Uddin Muhammad Abdus Samad of Bangladesh Islami Front in candle symbol, Kamal Pasha of National People's Party (NPP) in mango symbol and independent candidate Ramzan Ali in star symbol.
Meanwhile, the ruling party's candidate Noman Al Mahmud voted victorious in the morning at Ekhlachur Rahman Government Primary School in the city's Bahaddarhat area. Later, he expressed his sense of fulfilment with the victory.
The main opposition political parties, including BNP, did not participate in the polls.
Chittagong-8 constituency includes the metropolis's Chandgaon and Panchlaish police stations to the north of the Karnaphuli River and a portion of Boalkhali upazila to the south. This seat has a total of 5,17,652 voters including 2,63,543 males and 2,54,109 females.
Meanwhile, Chittagong-8 constituency has 190 voting stations, 76 of which have been categorized as critical. Each of these centres are supervised by 17 law enforcement officials. Other remaining general centres have 16 law enforcement personnel deployed. Besides BGB, RAB, executive magistrate and judicial magistrate is also performing duty in the election.
The seat fell vacant following the death of Awami League MP Moslem Uddin Ahmed on February 5. He was also elected in a by-election on January 13, 2020.
Moinuddin Khan Badal, the leader of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Jasad), has been elected from this seat in three successive parliamentary elections since 2008. When he died on November 7, 2019, the seat became vacant during first period of the term.
