The Election Commission (EC) has said chaos erupted in 30-35 polling centres and voting was cancelled in seven centres across the country till 3pm on Sunday.
At least 15 people, including some election officials, were arrested and punished for vote rigging and helping in the criminal act, the EC said in the afternoon.
EC Secretary Jahangir Alam revealed the information in a press briefing at the Nirbachan Bhaban in Agargaon after the voting ended at 4pm.
Bangladesh saw at least one death from polls-centric violence during Sunday’s voting, with some of the clashes involving the use of sharp weapons and firearms.
However, the police claimed that a festive atmosphere prevailed at the polling stations across the country, saying that there were a few isolated incidents during the voting.
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“Chases and counter-chases occurred in some of the centres while a police vehicle was attacked near one centre. Cocktails were hurled near another centre,” EC Secretary Jahangir said.
“Voting was cancelled in seven centres following reports of clashes and ballot stuffing,” he told reporters.
At least one presiding officer and an assistant presiding officer are among those punished, he said, adding that the voter turnout as of 3pm was 26.37%.
In Mymensingh, law enforcers arrested three people, including a presiding officer, for irregularities at a polling station in Gafargaon Upazila. The centre falls under the Mymensingh-10 constituency.
The arrestees are Presiding Officer Ilias Uddin, Assistant Presiding Officer Md Nurul Haque and an agent of the Boat symbol, Abul Kalam Azad.
They were caught while stuffing ballots in public at the Madinatul-ul-Alhaz Akbar Hossain Qawmi Madrasa polling centre around 10:30am.
Meanwhile, a Chhatra League activist was jailed for five years in Kurigram for stuffing ballots for the Awami League candidate for the Kurigram-3 seat.
He was also fined Tk3,000. In default, he will have to serve another three months in jail.
Mahatab Hossain Rudra, 22, was arrested in the Mondoler Haat High School centre in Ulipur upazila of the district.
Furthermore, a mobile court has sentenced a man to six months in jail for casting fake votes in the Barguna-1 constituency.
The man, Sabet Hossain, 28, was caught red-handed at a polling centre in Barguna Sadar upazila at around 10am on Sunday.
