2024-05-08 04:30:30
Ballot papers will be sent to 424 polling stations in remote areas on Tuesday (May 7) in the upcoming Sixth Upazila Parishad elections. The remaining 11,132 centers will go to the polls on Wednesday (May 8) morning.
Deputy Secretary of EC election management branch. Atiyar Rahman said that the EC has decided to send ballots to remote areas the day before polling due to the difficulty of travel. Instructions in this regard have already been sent to the returning officers.
It is known that ballots will be sent to remote centers of 24 upazilas of 10 districts the previous day. These upazilas are – Chilmari, Roumari and Char Rajivpur of Kurigram; Baralekha, Juri and Kulaura of Moulvibazar; Baniachang and Ajmiriganj of Habiganj; Nasirnagar, Sarail and Sandwip in Brahmanbaria; Rangamati Sadar, Kaukhali, Jurachari and Barkal of Rangamati; Bandarban Sadar and Alikadam of Bandarban; Lakshmichari, Manikchari, Matiranga and Ramgarh of Khagrachari; Dirai and Shalla of Sunamganj and Hatibandha of Lalmonirhat. 424 centers of these upazilas have been identified as inaccessible. It has 11 thousand 556 centers.
EC officials said that the ballot paper will be sent to remote centers in all phases of upazila elections held in four phases. Others will go on polling day morning. If the field administration identifies inaccessible areas and sends a report, the Election Commission takes a decision accordingly. For several years, the commission sent ballots in the morning instead of sending them the night before to prevent vote rigging.
The Election Commission is accepting votes in 476 upazilas out of 495 upazilas of the country in four phases. 19 Upazila Parishad elections have not been announced. Elections will be held in those upazilas later.
According to the schedule, polling will be held in 160 upazilas in the second phase on May 21, in the third phase in 112 upazilas on May 29 and in the fourth phase in 55 upazilas on June 5. 22 in the first phase, 24 in the second phase, 21 in the third phase and 21 in the fourth phase will be accepted in electronic voting machine (EVM) in two upazilas.