Dhaka
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Voting has begun in the by-election to the Thakurgaon-1 constituency, which covers Thakurgaon Sadar, Ruhia and Bhulli, in the 13th National Parliament. Polling began simultaneously at 185 centres across the constituency at 8:00 am on Thursday (October 29). Voting will continue without interruption until 4:00 pm.
Voters have been seen at various polling centres since the morning. At some centres, queues had formed even before voting began.
Thakurgaon District Election Officer and Returning Officer Mohammad Kamrul Islam told journalists that necessary preparations had been made to ensure a free, fair and impartial election. Adequate law enforcement personnel have been deployed at every polling centre. Strike forces and reserve forces have also been kept ready.
According to the election office, there are 185 polling centres across the three upazilas under the Thakurgaon-1 constituency. Of these, 113 are in Thakurgaon Sadar Upazila, 33 in the newly formed Ruhia Upazila and 39 in Bhulli Upazila.
The constituency has a total of 515,853 voters, including 257,219 men, 258,630 women and four third-gender voters. In addition, 287 people have registered to vote by postal ballot, including 249 men and 38 women.
After scrutiny of nomination papers on September 29, the nominations of six candidates were declared valid. Later, on October 5, Mohammad Obaidullah Masud, vice-president of the district BNP, withdrew his candidacy following a party decision. As a result, five candidates remain in the final contest.
The candidates are Mirza Faisal Amin of the BNP; Delawar Hossain, the candidate of Jamaat-e-Islami and like-minded parties; Hafez Dr Mohammad Khademul Islam; Mohammad Abdul Alim Nizami; and Husain Muhammad Omar Faruk.
Mirza Faisal Amin of the BNP and Delawar Hossain, the candidate backed by Jamaat-e-Islami and like-minded parties, are expected to be the main contenders in the election.
On August 20, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was elected president after defeating retired Colonel Oli Ahmed, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and candidate of the 11-party alliance, by 255 votes. Following his election as president, the Thakurgaon-1 constituency fell vacant, prompting the by-election.
In the 13th National Parliamentary Election held on February 12 this year, former BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir won the Thakurgaon-1 seat with 228,075 votes. His nearest rival, Jamaat candidate Delawar Hossain, received 132,584 votes.
In that election, Mohammad Khademul Islam, the candidate of Islami Andolan Bangladesh, received 3,833 votes.
A new member of parliament will be elected for the constituency following the counting of votes and announcement of the by-election results.
