EC urges all to cooperate for holding UZ polls peacefully

Election Commissioner (EC) Md Shah Nawaz urged the candidates, officials, law enforcement agencies concerned and people of Rangpur Tuesday to facilitate holding the sixth and last phase of Upazila polls on May 19 peacefully, reports BSS.
"Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad has highly appreciated peaceful Upazila elections during the last five phases in Rangpur division and expressed the hope that the last phase Upazila polls would be also be peaceful here," he said this while addressing a views-sharing meeting arranged by the district administration on the polls to be held in four upazilas of Rangpur on May 19 with Deputy Commissioner Farid Ahammad in the chair.
The returning officers, assistant returning officers, other election officials, candidates and their representatives, officials of Bangladesh Border Guard (BGB), Rapid Action Battalion (RAB-13), Ansar-VDP, police and intelligent agencies took part in the meeting.
In the beginning, Rangpur Regional Election Officer Md Monirul Islam narrated the preparations taken for holding elections of Sadar, Gangachara, Pirgachha and Kawnia Upazila parishads and cited various relevant statistics.
He said a total of 77 candidates, including 25 chairmen candidates, 24 vice-chairmen candidates and 18 female vice-chairmen candidates are contesting in the Upazila polls for four Upazila parishads.
A total of 656,924 voters including 324,114 male and 332,810 female, are expected to exercise their franchise at 287 polling centres under 29 unions in the upcoming polls.
Later, the EC answered to questions put by local journalists. He sought cooperation of journalists for holding polls peacefully.