The by-election to Gaibandha-5 constituency (Fulchhari-Saghata) would be held on Wednesday amid tight security measures.
Election materials including EVM have already been handed over to the presiding officers on Wednesday morning and then the presiding officers and other assigned vote-taking officers including the law enforcers went to the respective polling centers before this noon.
The polling will continue to 4 pm without any break. A public holiday has already been declared in two upazilas as elsewhere in the district to enable the voters to exercise their rights, office sources said.
A total of 3,39,743 voters, including 1, 69, 575 males, will cast their votes at 952 booths of 145 centres under 17 unions of the upazilas to elect MP from the constituency, sources added.
Only four candidates are participating in the race, said Syed Abu Sayeed, Saghata upazila election officer.
The candidates are-Zahangir Hossain(Bikolpa Dhara), Syed Mahbubur Rahman (Independent), Mahmud Hasan Ripon(Awami League) and Golam Shaheed Ranju (Jatiya Party).
Official sources said the seat fell vacant due to the death of local lawmaker and Deputy Speaker Adv Fazle Rabbi Miah at Mount Sinai Cancer Hospital in New York of the USA on July 23 in 2022.
Then the Election Commission announced the election schedule on August 24 in 2022.
Accordingly, the voting of the by-polls started in the constituency on October 12. But after noon due to some irregularities, the Commission stopped the polling.
Later the EC announced the date for the by-elections on December 06 in 2022. As per the schedule, the by-election is being held in the constituency tomorrow for the second time.
District Election Officer Abdul Mottaleb said all-out preparations have been completed to hold the by-polls in the constituency peacefully.
Tight security measures have also been adopted to hold the by-polls fairly, he added.
Source: BSS