The by-election to Bogura-6 parliamentary constituency is progressing peacefully with a low voter turnout.
Voters were seen going to the polling centres in a happy mood after the vote began around 9:00am.
The parliamentary seat was announced vacant after BNP’s lawmaker-elect Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, also Secretary General of the party, did not take oath as a member of parliament.
Voting will continue till 5:00pm.
A total of seven candidates are contesting this by-polls. They are: T Jaman Niketa from Awami League, Golam Mohammad Siraj from BNP, Md Nurul Islam Omor (former MP in Bogura-6) from Jatiya party, Md Monsur Rahman from Bangladesh Congress, Md Minhaj (independent), Md Rafiqul Islam from Bangladesh Muslim League, and Syed Kabir Ahmem (Independent).
While visiting PTI Academy polling station our correspondent found 106 voters out of 2,648 cast their votes till 10:00am.
In another centre at Belail Government Primary School, only 137 votes out of 2,478 was cast after nearly three hours of beginning the voting, said Shahinur Islam, presiding officer of the centre.
Besides, in Noongola High School polling station, 190 out of 3,600 voters exercised their franchise with EVM machines, presiding officer Nur Islam said.
Presiding Officer of Armed Police Battalion School and College polling station Firoz Mia informed, “Within last two hours from around 11:00am, total 240 votes counted out of 2,888.
While talking with a voter, Malik Ahmed, resident of Rahman Nagar of the town who cast vote at PTI Academic polling station at Sutrapur, said: “Vote with EVM is easy than the ballot paper. I am happy with this new method”.
Another voter Jahanara Begum of the polling station said, “It’s easy to cast vote with the EVM machine”.
BNP Candidate Golam Mohammad Siraj said, “I am happy with the overall environment. No allegation surfaced yet. Voters’ attendance was low in every polling centers in the morning. But hopefully it will increase later”.
AL Candidate T Jaman Niketa said, voter’s attendances are comparatively higher today and voters have cordially received the electronic voting machine.”
One the other hand, the Election Commission is also pleased over the voting environment.
Zakir Hossain, election officer, Bogura Sadar upazila said, “Voters attendances are increasing now. There is no bad news yet. Everything is going fine today.”
