Thakurgaon-1 by-election underway; BNP, Jamaat candidates cast votes

BNP-nominated candidate Mirza Faisal Amin and Jamaat-e-Islami candidate Delwar Hossain cast their votes in the by-election to the Thakurgaon-1 constituency on Thursday morning.

Faisal Amin voted at Thakurgaon Government Girls' High School polling centre around 8am.

Before and after casting his vote, he exchanged greetings with voters present at the centre.

Talking to journalists after voting, Faisal Amin expressed confidence in a decisive victory, saying polling had just begun and he expected his party to win overwhelmingly.

“We will achieve an absolute victory, Inshallah,” he said.

He said he would visit different polling centres to observe the situation and expressed hope that the election would be held in a festive atmosphere.

“I don't see any concerns. All voters are my voters, and everyone will cast their votes peacefully,” he said, adding that the administration would take necessary measures if it considered any centre vulnerable.

Regarding voter turnout, Faisal Amin said the weather was somewhat unfavourable but expected the number of voters to increase as the day progressed.

Jamaat candidate Delwar Hossain cast his vote at Hajipara Adarsha High School polling centre in Thakurgaon municipality around 8:30am. He also exchanged greetings with voters before and after voting.

After casting his vote, Delwar urged voters to come to polling centres and exercise their franchise, saying it was too early to comment on the overall election environment as voting had only just started.

However, he raised questions about the identity of the presiding officer at the centre where he voted, alleging that the officer's identification card did not contain a photograph.

“How can we be sure that he is the actual person or someone else?” he asked, expressing concern over the possibility of proxy voting and requesting the returning officer to look into the matter.

He said the fairness of the election, being held under a party-led government, would depend on the government, election officials and the administration.

Thakurgaon District Election Officer and Returning Officer Md Kamrul Islam said all necessary preparations had been made to ensure a free, fair and neutral election.

Adequate law enforcement personnel have been deployed at every polling centre, while striking and reserve forces have also been kept ready, he said.

According to the election office, the Thakurgaon-1 constituency, covering Thakurgaon Sadar, Ruhia and Bhulli, has a total of 185 polling centres.

Of them, 113 are in Thakurgaon Sadar upazila, 33 in the newly formed Ruhia upazila and 39 in Bhulli upazila.

The constituency has 515,853 registered voters, including 257,219 men, 258,630 women and four third-gender voters.

A total of 287 voters have registered to vote through postal ballots, including 249 men and 38 women.