UNB, Dhaka :
The curtain falls on election campaign in 74 upazilas of 35 districts on Saturday midnight, 32 hours before the start of voting there.
The voting will take place from 8am to 4pm on Monday without any break in the fifth phase upazila elections.
As per the law, said Election Commissioner Shah Nawaz, one has to stop election campaign in the upazilas 32 hours before the voting.
A total of 1063 candidates are contesting the elections against 222 posts in the 74 upazilas. Of them, 364 are chairman candidates, 420 vice chairman contenders and 279 vice chairman candidates for the post set aside for women, according to the EC secretariat.
There are 1,42,60,663 voters – 71,15,380 men and 71,45,283 women – who can exercise their franchise in 35,941 booths of 5,703 polling stations in the upazilas.
One platoon of the army members was deployed Saturday in each upazila to work as a striking force to maintain an election-friendly environment in the areas till Wednesday.
Alongside regular law enforcement agencies, BGB members are working as striking force in the election areas. Besides, a team of 15-16 security men will guard each polling station.
As many as 296 magistrates – 222 executive and 74 judicial ones- have been appointed to lead mobile courts in the election areas with a view to curbing any possible election violence and violation of polls codes.
Some 1,13,500 election officials will be on election duty during the voting. Of the officials, 5,703 are presiding officers, 35,941 assistant presiding officers and 71,882 are polling officials.
The 74 upazilas are Thakurgaon Sadar, Biral, Parbatipur and Hakimpur of Dinajpur, Domar of Nilphamari, Kaliganj of Lalmonirhat, Fulchhari, Sundarganj of Gaibandha, Bogra Sadar, Poba of Rajshahi, Belkuchi and Shahjadpur of Sirajganj, Bera and Sadar of Pabna, Alamdanga and Sadar of Chuadanga, Debhata, Sadar and Tala of Satkhira, Bamna, Patharghata, Sadar and Amtali of Barguna, Dashmina and Kalapara of Patuakhali, Ghatail, Sadar, Mirzapur and Gopalpur of Tangail, Madarganj of Jamalpur, Gafargaon, Trishal and Nandail of Mymensingh, Ashtagram and Pakundia of Kishoreganj, Tongibari, Sirajdikhan and Louhajong of Munshiganj, Sreepur and Kaliganj of Gazipur, Manohardi, Sadar and Raipura of Narsingdi, Sonargaon, Rupganj and Araihazar of Narayanganj, Goalanda of Rajbari, Biswambhapur and Tahirpur of Sunamganj, Biyanibazar of Sylhet, Juri and Rajnagar of Moulvibazar, Baniachong of Habiganj, Kasba, Ashuganj and Sadar of Brahmanbaria, Muradnagar and Chandina of Comilla, Chhagalnaiya of Feni, Subarnachar and Hatia of Noakhali, Ramgati, Ramganj, Raypur and Sadar of Laxmipur, Sandeep of Chittagong, Teknaf, Ukhia and Sadar of Cox’s Bazar, Dighinala of Khagrachhari, and Langgadu, Rajasthali and Bilaichhari of Rangamati.
On February 20, the Election Commission announced schedule for the fifth phase elections to 74 upazila parishads and subsequently declared polls schedule for Shripur of Gazipur fixing the balloting date on the same day, but postponed polls of Basail of Tangail due to Tangail-8 by-elections held on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the commission has so far held elections to 384 upazila parishads – 98 upazilas in the 1st phase, 114 upazilas in the 2nd phase, 81 in the 3rd phase and 91 in 4th phase.
