By-polls in 6 JS seats underway amid stray incidents

The by-polls in six parliamentary seats, left vacant after BNP lawmakers resigned, is going on amid some stray incidents on Wednesday.

The balloting began around 8:30 am and will continue till 4:30 pm, SM Asaduzzaman, Joint Secretary of the Election Commission, told the media.

The six constituencies are Thakurgaon-3, Bogura-4 and 6, Chapainawabganj-2, 3 and Brahmanbaria-2.

Electronic voting machines (EVMs) are being used in the by-elections however, no CCTV cameras are being used in the election, he added.

Forty aspirants are taking part in the 6 constituencies.

UNB Adds: In Chapainawabganj, a chase and counter-chase took place among the supporters of two candidates at the District Ideal High School Centre around 9 am.

A scuffle took place between the supporters of independent candidate Samiul Haque Liton and Awami League-backed candidate Abdul Wadud at the polling station -- triggering a chase and counter-chase, said Additional Superintendent of Chapainawabganj Police, Abul Kalam Shaheed.

However, the police brought the situation under control. A crude bomb was seized from the spot.

Voting in the by-election for Brahmanbaria-2 (Sarail-Ashuganj) constituency was going on peacefully amid low voter turnout till the filing of thereport around noon.

Abu Asif Ahmed, an expelled leader of BNP and an independent candidate, still remains missing since Friday.

Some 1,100 police have been deployed at the polling stations while four platoons of BGB members, nine teams of RAB, nine mobile teams of police, and four striking teams were also performing their duties to maintain law and order situation.

A total of 22,55,217 people are expected to exercise their franchise in 867 polling centers.

Meanwhile, the government on Tuesday announced a public holiday on Wednesday in the election areas on the occasion of the by-elections.

Earlier on December 10, 2022, at a public rally, parliamentarians of the BNP announced their resignation from the JS. The next day, on December 11, Chapainawabganj-2 lawmaker Md Aminul Islam, Bogura-4 lawmaker Md. Mosharraf Hossain, Bogura-6 lawmaker Golam Mohammad Siraj, and Thakurgaon-3 lawmaker Zahidur Rahman resigned from the parliament.

Two other BNP lawmakers — Advocate Abdus Sattar of Brahmanbaria-2 constituency and Harun-or-Rashid of Chapainawabganj-3 — resigned from the parliament later.