Voting is underway in the by-election to the Rangpur-3 parliamentary seat vacated after the death of Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad.
Polls opened in 175 voting centres at the constituency at 9:00 am on Saturday and will continue uninterruptedly until 5:00 pm. All centres are using Electronic Voting Machines or EVMs.
More than 400,000 voters will elect their representative to parliament from the candidates of the Jatiya Party, the BNP, the Khelafat Majilsh, the Gono Front and two independents.
The Jatiya Party has picked Ershad’s son Rahgir Al Mahi, better known as Shad Ershad, to run with the plough symbol.
Ershad’s nephew and former MP Hossain Moqbul Shahriar Asif is contesting independently with motorcar symbol after failing to secure the party ticket.
Rieta Rahman, daughter of Mashiur Rahman Jadu Mia, a member of BNP founder Ziaur Rahman’s cabinet, is the party’s candidate contesting with its paddy sheaf symbol.
NPP’s Shafiul Alam is expecting to woo votes with mango symbol, Khelafat Majish’s Touhidur Rahman Mandal with wall clock symbol and Gono Front’s Kazi Md Shahidullah Bayezid with fish symbol.
Only Asif and Touhidur are voters of the constituency. The others will be allowed to visit the polling stations, bdnews24.com reports.
The by-election lost much of the heat when the ruling Awami League withdrew its candidate Rezaul Karim Razu from the contest in support of its ally the Jatiya Party, which is the official opposition in parliament.
Ershad won the seat in the December 30 elections last year as the candidate of the Awami League-led alliance.
After his death on July 14, the Election Commission announced the schedule for the by-election on September 1.
As many as 3,500 security personnel have been deployed for the by-polls to the Jatiya Party stronghold, which consists Rangpur Sadar Upazila, Rangpur Cantonment and 25 of 33 Rangpur City Corporation wards.
The results are expected to be released in a short time as electronic machines will be used for the voting, Returning Officer GM Shahtab Uddin said.
