Shawdesh Desk:

The country’s 156 upazilas will go for elections today amid fears of violence, intimidation, and low voter turnout in the second phase of the upazila election.

Only 36 per cent of votes were cast in the first phase of the upazila election on May 8, as most opposition parties, including the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, have boycotted the polls.

Election Commission addition secretary Ashok Kumar Debnath told reporters at his office on Monday that all preparations for the second phase of the elections have been completed.

The EC data said that 22 contestants—seven chairmen, eight vice-chairmen, and seven reserved seat vice-chairmen for women—have been elected uncontested in the second phase.

Raujan upazila of Chattogram and Adarsha Sadar upazila of Cumilla needed no elections as candidates were elected uncontested in  all posts there.

Two people were killed in clashes in Sadar upazila of Gopalganj and Belkuchi upazila of Sirajganj during the first phase of the elections.

Clashes also occurred in the second phase of the election.

In the Jhalakati Sadar upazila parishad election, two activists of chairman candidate Khan Arifur Rahman have been beaten, allegedly by a rival candidate’s activists.

The victims alleged that activists of rival Nurul Amin Khan carried out the attack.

The incident took place in Bankura village of Sadar upazila’s Shekerhat union on Monday afternoon.

Nurul Amin Khan denied the allegations.

Jhalakati Sadar police sub-inspector M Arefin said that the police visited the scene after receiving information about the injuries of two people in a clash.

The injured have been sent to the hospital, he said, adding that legal action will be taken if a written complaint is received.

An activist of chairman candidate Jahangir Hossain was hacked and seriously injured in Bagatipara, Natore.

The houses of seven of his activists were also vandalised.

These incidents took place in three villages in the Faguardiad union late on Sunday.

Jahangir alleged that activists and supporters of his rival Shariful Islam were involved in this attack.

BNP leader Jahangir Hossain has been expelled from the party for disobeying party instructions and participating in the election.

Shariful Islam is the brother of Shahidul Islam, a former Natore-1 Awami League lawmaker.

Denying these allegations, Shariful Islam said that none of his activists were involved in the incidents.

Bagatipara police officer-in-charge Nannu Khan said that the police were sent to the spot after receiving information and legal action was underway.

Allegations of conflict, threats, violations of the electoral code of conduct, and the influence of parliamentarians were reported in several places during the campaign.

Seventeen family members of ministers and parliamentarians are involved in the first two phases of the election as chairman candidates.

In the second phase, votes will be cast from 8:00am to 4:00pm without any breaks.

The ballot paper will be sent to 12,323 polling stations on voting day and to 697 polling stations the day before.

Some 1,824 candidates, including 603 for chairman, 693 for vice-chairman, and 528 for reserved vice-chairman posts, are participating in the second phase of the election.

More than 3.52 crore voters—1,79,05,464 males, 1,72,99,047 females, and 237 transgender persons—are registered at 13,016 polling stations in the 156 upazilas, according to the factsheet provided by the Election Commission.

Among them, electronic voting machines will be used in 24 upazilas in nine districts, while traditional ballot papers will be used in the rest of the upazilas.

A circular issued by the home ministry in this regard informed that a security team of 17 to 19 members would guard each polling station in the plain districts, while a security team of 19 to 21 members would protect a polling station in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and very remote areas.

As per the Border Guard Bangladesh media release, a total of 457 BGB platoons have been deployed to maintain law and order ahead of the second phase of the upazila parishad polls.

The force will remain deployed from May 19 to May 23.

The Election Commission is arranging the sixth upazila parishad election in four phases.

The commission has already declared the election schedule to hold polls in some 480 upazilas out of the country›s 495 upazilas.

The third phase of the election will be held in some 110 upazilas on May 29, and the fourth phase will poll more than 50 upazilas on June 5.