Security forces working to help EC hold fair polls: Home Minister

Security forces are working to help the Election Commission hold fair Union Parisahd elections, said Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on Thursday.

"Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina clearly instructed us to ensure fair holding of the elections and security forces are working accordingly," he told reporters at the secretariat.

Responding to a question over violence in the UP elections, the Home Minister said, "Police personnel are performing their duties. The elections are being held in a broad area. You know clashes and violence for establishing supremacy are common in UP elections."

Incidents of killings and injuries were reported from different places and police have arrested the offenders after identifying them, he added.

Voting for the second phase of the union parishad polls is underway in the country, with over 41,000 candidates in the fray for different posts.

Polling began in 835 of 848 UPs at 8am on Thursday and will continue till 4pm.

81 chairman candidates have already been elected unopposed.

Similarly, all contestants – for chairman and member posts, and reserved seats – in five UPs were elected uncontested.

Though the Election Commission had earlier announced the second phase election schedule for 848 UPs, it postponed polls in seven UPs and cancelled polling in one.

More than 41,000 candidates, including 3,310 contenders of chairman post, are contesting the countrywide second phase UP polls.

Some 28,747 candidates are contesting the polls for member posts and 9,161 women for the seats reserved for them in the UPs.

But 203 member candidates and 73 women candidates for reserved seats were elected unopposed in this phase.

There are nearly 16.6 million voters – 8,405,831 men, 8,189,379 women and 16 transgender (Hijra) – under 8,492 polling stations in these UPs.