UNB, Dhaka
The officially stipulated campaign period for nearly 650 Union Parishads across 47 districts of the country ends at midnight, 32 hours before voting opens on Thursday. All types of rallies, processions and showdowns will remain prohibited in the election areas from Tuesday midnight to Saturday midnight.
“No one can carry out any type of campaign after today (Tuesday) midnight,” Election Commissioner Md Shah Nawaz on Tuesday told reporters at his Election Commission Secretariat office.
Issuing warning to the security men and vote-casting officials, he said the Election Commission would not tolerate negligence of the law enforcement agencies in curbing election irregularities and violence. “If the law enforcement agencies play inactive role while offenses are committed in their presence, we will not tolerate such thing,” he said.
Shah Nawaz said none will be spared for failure in performing duty. “If anyone commits offense, the persons, no matter who, will be arrested and brought to book.”
In the second phase, as many as 31 chairman candidates, all from ruling Awami League, have already been elected unopposed finding no rival against their respective post.
Nearly 2,700 chairman contenders, including 1500 from 17 political parties and nearly 1200 independent candidates are in the election races in the UPs.
Though AL has no chairman candidate in only one UP out of 643 UPs in this phase, its arch rival BNP has no aspirants in some 79 UPs.
HM Ershad-led Jatiya Party has fielded chairman candidates in only 156 UPs.