Second phase UP polls today

The second phase of the first-ever partisan elections to union parishads is set to be held at 639 unions across the country today with the oppositions fearing violence, intimidation and rigging.
Election commissioner Md Sahanewaz on Wednesday asked the election officials and law enforcement agencies to discharge their duties with full professionalism.
According to the Election Commission, in the second phase of the staggered elections, 2,662 people are contesting for 639 positions of chairman, 21,259 for the positions of member and 6,498 for the member positions reserved for women.
It said that 1,12,12,334 people enrolled to cast their vote.
The commission said that 17 of the 40 registered political parties, including the ruling Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, are contesting the polls.
Although the parties have nominated only the chairman candidates officially, party candidates, mostly backed by AL and BNP, are also contesting for the positions of member and reserved member at almost all wards.
In the second phase, 32 AL-nominated chairman candidates were elected unopposed unofficially, commission officials said.
At least 60 BNP-nominated chairman aspirants were reportedly barred from submitting nomination papers
by AL activists.
Opposition parties, their candidates, independent candidates and many voters fear that ruling AL activists may resort to violence and stuffing of ballot boxes capturing polling stations as they did in the first phase of the elections at 725 unions held on March 22.
In the first phase, 54 AL-nominated chairman candidates were elected unopposed while BNP-nominated candidates were reportedly barred by AL activists from submitting nomination papers for 121 unions.
After the announcement of the polls schedule on February 11, 27 people were killed in election related violence. Mostly AL men were killed as a large number of AL rebel candidates were contesting the polls.
Pre-polls violence and other irregularities were reported also on Wednesday from different districts.
In Bhola, 30 people were injured in a clash between the activists of AL-nominated chairman candidate M Mizanur Rahamn and rebel candidate Rezaul Haque Chowdhury for upazila’s Razapur union.
Both groups vandalised some business entities and set fire on two motorcycles at Janata Bazar.
Police detained two people.
Bhola superintendent of police M Moniruzzaman Moni said that members of the police, Border Guard of Bangladesh and Rapid Action Battalion controlled the situation.
In Faridpur, BNP-nominated chairman candidates of three unions of Alfadanga upazila – M Marzan of Bana union, Shahidur Rahman of Pacuria union and Sazzad Hossain of Tagarbanda union – withdrew from the polls race alleging that AL activists threatened them and their supporters.
They also claimed that the administration was working in favour of the AL candidates.
In Kishoreganj, AL rebel candidate of Jalalpur union of Katiadi upazila Habibur Rahman at après conference alleged that AL candidate Shahnewaj Bhuyan was threatening his activists.
New Age correspondent in Jhenaidah reported that following a commission order, Moheshpur police station officer in-charge Aminul Islam Biplab was withdrawn from the station for his alleged connection with some candidates.
The commission on Wednesday, asked the Satkhira superintendent of police Chowdhuary Manjurul Kabir and five officers-in-charge to submit charge sheet against people involve in violation of electoral code of conduct in the first phase of the union polls in the district on March 22.
The commission earlier suspended polls at 11 centres in the district and latter asked the police to file cases against people involved in irregularities.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net