Desk Report : As many as 115 Upazilas go to polls on Thursday in the second phase of the local government elections that are testing the strength of the support base of parties at the grassroots. Balloting will take place at 8,131 polling stations across 52 districts in Bangladesh on Thursday, starting at 8am and ending at 4pm.

Over 1,300 people are in the race for the offices of chairmen and vice chairmen. Nearly 20 million voters will elect 345 representatives.

Initially, 117 Upazilas were slated to go to polls.

However, voting at Cox�s Bazar�s Maheshkhali was rescheduled for Mar 1 after the High Court directed the Election Commission not to hold balloting on Feb 27 in response to a petition. Maheshkhali�s traditional �Adinath Mela� falls on Thursday.

The court is yet to decide on a petition on Chandpur�s Haimchar Upazila over boundary demarcation with Shariatpur�s Ghoshairghat.

The BNP, which won the majority of the posts in the first phase of polls, is confident of maintaining the pace even though the election is not political.

Candidates backed by the BNP and its 18 allies won the race for chairman in 57 of the 95 Upazila Parishads in the first leg after it alleged rigging and other irregularities just after the balloting had ended. It has warned against rigging and threatened to wage �tougher� agitation. The party had boycotted the Jan 5 parliamentary polls. The Election Commission (EC), based on its experience of the first phase, said it would not show any leniency towards any irregularities. Election Commissioner Md Shah Nawaz on Wednesday said: �Having learnt lessons from our mistakes in the first phase, we are working more cautiously to ensure more free and fair polls in the second phase.�

Although the BNP had been raising various allegations, Nawaz said the EC would take proper actions if there were specific charges. He said the returning officers were punishing aspirants for breach of polls code irrespective of their political affiliation.

�We (the EC) have ordered the polls officials to act tough,� he said.

The first phase, held just a month after the violence-plagued general elections, saw a 62 percent turnout. The EC hopes the turnout will increase this time.

Balloting was halted at two polling stations at Sirajganj�s Ullaparha in the first stage. Voting in the two centres will be held on Mar 3.

The army has been deployed as the taskforce to maintain law and order along with Rapid Action Battalion, police and Ansars. Special security arrangements have been made for members of religious minorities, the EC said. 

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Local Time : 0113 Hours 27 February 2024