The polling began at 8am on Thursday and will remain open until 4pm
Voting in the by-elections of Chittagong-8 constituency is going on as the seat became vacant after MP Moslem Uddin Ahmed died.
The main opposition political parties, including BNP, are not participating in the polls.
The polling began at 8am on Thursday and will remain open until 4pm.
The election has five candidates from the ruling Awami League and other smaller political parties.
They are Noman Al Mahmud in boat symbol, Syed Muhammad Farid Uddin of Bangladesh Islamic Front in chair symbol, Sehab Uddin Muhammad Abdus Samad of Bangladesh Islami Front in candle symbol, Kamal Pasha of National People's Party (NPP) in mango symbol and independent candidate Ramzan Ali in star symbol.
Meanwhile, the ruling party's candidate Noman Al Mahmud voted victorious in the morning at Ekhlachur Rahman Government Primary School in the city's Bahaddarhat area. Later, he expressed his sense of fulfilment with the victory.
Chittagong Regional Election Officer Mohammad Hasanuzzaman, who is also the returning officer in the by-election, told Dhaka Tribune: “The election is going on peacefully. Strict security precautions have been implemented. There will be no exemptions if someone tries to create an uncomfortable situation.”
Chittagong-8 constituency includes the metropolis's Chandgaon and Panchlaish police stations to the north of the Karnaphuli River and a portion of Boalkhali upazila to the south. This seat has a total of 5,17,652 voters including 2,63,543 males and 2,54,109 females.
Meanwhile, Chittagong-8 constituency has 190 voting stations, 76 of which have been categorized as critical. Each of these centres are supervised by 17 law enforcement officials. Other remaining general centres have 16 law enforcement personnel deployed. Besides BGB, RAB, executive magistrate and judicial magistrate is also performing duty in the election.
The seat felt vacant following the death of Awami League MP Moslem Uddin Ahmed on February 5. He was also elected in a by-election on January 13, 2020.
Moinuddin Khan Badal, the leader of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (Jasad), has been elected from this seat in three successive parliamentary elections since 2008. When he died on November 7, 2019, the seat became vacant during first period of the term.
