Voter turnout 36.1pc in first phase

The average voter turnout for the first phase of the sixth Upazila Parishad elections was 36.1 per cent, reports bdnews24.com.

The turnout was an average of 31.31 per cent for the 22 Upazilas using electronic voting machines, while the turnout averaged 37.22 per cent in those constituencies using paper ballots, Election Commissioner Md Alamgir told the media at the election regulator's office in the city on Thursday.

Polls were held in 139 Upazilas in the first phase of the elections on Wednesday.

The average turnout was calculated from the percentage of votes cast for the post of chairman, he said.

The lowest turnout was seen in the Sonatala, Mirsarai, and Kushtia Sadar polls, which only registered 17 per cent. The highest turnout was Joypurhat's Khetlal Upazila with 73 per cent.