Voting in Bhola by-election starts

Voting in the Bhola-3 by-elections started at 8 am on Saturday.

86 polling centres are open until 4pm within the constituency's two upazillas, Lalmohan and Tajumaddin.

234,926 voters have a right to decide whether to vote for either Nurunnabi Chowdhury Shaon of the ruling Awami League or the main opposition BNP's Major Hafizuddin Ahmed.

M Sakhawat Hossain, an election commissioner, on Saturday morning, told bd25.blogspot.com that all necessary preparations for a free and fair election had been ensured.

He said, over the telephone, "We're contacting the election officers persistently. All the officials, including the returning officers have been asked to take necessary measures to ensure a fair election."

The presiding officer at Lalmohon Islamia Kamil Madrassa, Md Enayet Ullah at 8am, told bdnews24.com that seven election agents were present from both sides.

More than 50 voters were waiting in the queue outside the Madrassa.

"Noone obstructed me to come to vote," thirty-eight year old Nazimuddin Tipu, from the line, said.

"People seem curious about casting their votes, I guess," he added.

A woman called Fatema, who came with her child to the centre, told bdnews24.com, "I didn't face any problems on the way here."

"I am Feeling good," she added.

However, Babul, with a bandage around his head, claimed that he was attacked by some BNP supporters at Binodon Bazar.

Facing the polls, some 3,500 law enforcers have been deployed in the context of allegation and counter-allegation between the two main parties.

Returning officer Nuruzzaman Talukder told bdnews24.com on Friday night that all necessary preparations for the next day's elections were completed.

"I doubt that the voters' enthusiasm has been dampened despite reports of a few stray incidents of violence," he said.

The Election Commission (EC) declared the Bhola-3 constituency vacant after finding the elected MP Md Jasim Uddin's candidature invalid.

Jasim Uddin was sent into forced retirement from the army, as a major, in 2004 but electoral laws do not allow a person holding public office to contest in elections within 5 years of leaving the service.

The EC has declared 52 of the 86 polling centres as vulnerable and has installed a number of security measures including closed circuit television, some 40 EC officials deployed as observers in plainclothes, 21 strike teams and 24 mobile teams led by executive magistrates.

Despite a number of allegations from the opposition camp that their polling agents are either being harassed or being threatened to leave the area, Bhola's police superintendent, Bashir Ahmed confirmed that situation was calm.

He told bdnews24.com: "The constituency is entirely peaceful and measures have been taken to ensure a peaceful election at the upazilas of Lalmohan and Tajumuddin."

BNP's Hafiz Uddin Ahmed may be considered a stronger contender having carried the seat in 1991 (44.9 percent votes) as an independent and winning in 1996 (with 59 percent of the votes) and in 2001 (with 65.8 percent votes).