Voting starts in 6th phase of Bangladesh’s rural UP polls

Voters standing in queues at a polling centre in Sylhet. Photo - UNB

Dhaka, Jan 31 – The voting is underway for the sixth phase of local body elections to 218 Union Parishads (UPs) in 42 upazilas of 22 districts.

The voting began at 8am at 2,186 polling stations and will continue till 4pm without any break.

Out of 218 UPs, the electronic voting machines (EVMs) are being used in 216 instead of traditional ballot papers.

In the 218 UPs, there are some 42 lakh voters with 11,604 candidates contesting the elections.

Of them, 1,199 contenders are running for chairman posts, while 2,559 women for reserved seats and 7,846 for member posts.

Meanwhile, 12 contestants for chairman posts, 32 women for reserved seats and 100 for member posts have been elected unopposed as there were no rival candidates against their respective posts.

On December 18 last, the Election Commission announced the schedule for the sixth phase UP election. - UNB