4th Phase: Voting underway in 60 upazilas

The fourth phase of the upazila parishad elections are underway in 60 upazilas under 26 districts in the country on Wednesday.

The voting began at 8:00am and will continue till 4:00 pm without any break.

A total of 721 candidates are in the electoral race against 180 posts of 60 Upazila Parishads. Of them, 251 are chairman contenders, 265 vice chairman and 205 women (reserved) vice chairman contestants.

Some 1.44 crore voters (exactly 1,43,57,820) are registered under 5,144 polling stations in the 60 upazilas, according to the factsheets provided by the Election Commission on Tuesday.

Among them, the electronic voting machines is being used in six upazilas, while the traditional ballot papers in the rest upazilas.

On April 24, the Election Commission announced the schedule for third phase Upazila Parishad polls.

A security team of 17-19 members is guarding each polling station in the plain districts, while a security team of 19-21 members in the Chattogram hill tracts and very remote areas.

This time, the Election Commission is arranging the sixth Upazila Parishad election in four phases.

The commission declared the election schedule to hold polls in some 450 upazilas out of the country's 495 upazilas.

The first phase election was held in 139 upazila parishads on May last 8, while the second phase election in 156 upazilas on May 21 last and the third phase election in 90 upazilas on May 29 last.