Polls in 116 more upazilas today

A week after the first phase polls in 97 upazilas, the residents of 115 upazilas parishads of the country's 52 districts are going to vote today (Thursday) to pick their long list of representatives to upazila parishads in the second phase of the local body elections, reports UNB.
The voting will take place from 8am to 4pm without any break.
One platoon of the army (34 members) remained deployed in each upazila for five days. The army personnel were deployed Tuesday to work as striking forces to maintain election-friendly environment in the polls areas.
Alongside regular law-enforcement agencies, BGB members are working as striking forces in the election areas. Besides, a team of 14-17 security men will guard each polling station.
A total of 1340 candidates are contesting the election against 345 posts in the 115 upazilas. Of them, 500 are chairman contenders, 506 vice chairman candidates and 334 are vice chairman candidates for the posts set aside for women.
There are 1,95,92,868 voters -- 98,05,150 males and 97,87,718 females- who can exercise their franchise through 51,129 booths of 8032 polling stations in the upazilas.
Some 1,61,000 election officials will be there on polls duty during the voting. Of the officials, 8032 are presiding officers, 51129 assistant presiding officers and 102258 are polling officials.
Election Commissioner Md Shah Nawaz Wednesday said the law enforcement agencies were asked to prevent the recurrence of any violence, happened in the first phase upazila elections in the second phase.
The commission completed all necessary preparations for arranging elections in 115 upazilas, he told reporters at his Election Commission Secretariat office.
On January 23, the EC announced schedule for the second phase in 117 upazila parishads fixing voting for February 27.
Later, the commission deferred the election in Maheshkahli upazila in Cox's Bazar to March 1 due to a religious festival of the Hindu community, while the EC suspended the polls of Haimchar in Chandpur for delimitation complexities.
Earlier on February 19 and 24, the first phase election in 98 upazilas was held.
In the upazilas, 44 BNP-blessed chairman candidates, 34 Awami League-backed chairman candidates and 12 Jamaat-supported chairman candidates won the polls.
The EC, in five phases, declared election schedules for a total of 464 upazilas out of the country's 487 upazilas.