Voting in Dhaka-17 by-polls going on peacefully

The election to Dhaka-17 constituency by-polls is going on peacefully as the Election Commission (EC) has taken all-out preparation to hold it in a free and fair manner.

The voting started at 8am and it will continue till 4pm without any break.

Sources said all the electoral equipments were sent to the constituency within Sunday evening.

All sorts of electoral campaign has been remained stop from Saturday morning and restrictions have been imposed on all kinds of vehicular movement including motorbike, truck, minibus, microbus, jeep, pickup, car and easy-bike since last midnight (July 17)on alleys and secondary streets in the electoral region.

But the main streets remain outside of this restriction.

Vehicles used by the law enforcing agencies, concerned electoral officials, election observers and journalists and vehicles used by emergency utility services will also remain out of the purview of the restrictions.

On May 15, the Dhaka-17 constituency comprising Gulshan, Banani, Bhasantek and cantonment fell vacant following the death of its lawmaker film actor Akbar Hossain Pathan (Farooq).

The vote is being casted through ballot paper as there are some 3 lakh, 25 thousand and 205 enlisted voters in the constituency---where female voters are 1,53,580 and the rest are male voters.

All the EC officials including Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal, Election Commissioners Brigadier General (retd) Ahsan Habib Khan, Begum Rashida Sultana, Anisur Rahman, Additional Secretary Ashok Kumar Devnath, NID Director General AKM Humayun Kabir and IDEA-2 project Director Brigadier General Abul Hasnat M Sayem are engaged in election observation at the EC control room since this morning.

The number of polling centers in Dhaka-17 is 124. The vote of the Dhaka-17 by-polls is being monitored by 853 CCTVs.

A total of eight candidates are participating in Dhaka-17 by polls.

The candidates are Mohammad Ali Arafat from the ruling Awami League, Sikder Anisur Rahman of Jatiya Party, Kazi M Rashidul Hasan from Jaker Party, Sheikh Habibur Rahman from Trinmool BNP, M Rezaul Islam Shawpan from Bangladesh Congress, Bangladesh Sangskrit Mukti Jote candidate M Akbor Hossain and two independent candidates M Ashraful Alam alias Hero Alam and M Tariqul Islam.

The voting in other 78 local government bodies’ elections is also being held today across the country.

The EC is considering those elections under the local government as very much important before the upcoming 12th Jatiya Sangsad polls.