Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retired) Ahsan Habib warned on Saturday that any voting centre where fake votes are cast will be closed immediately in the forthcoming upazila parishad election.

He made the remark while addressing a meeting with officials of field administration at the auditorium of Barishal Shilpakala Academy on Saturday.

Any kind of violence centring the upazila parishad election anywhere in the country won’t be tolerated, he warned. “We want to hold a free and fair upazila parishad election slated for May 8 in Barishal Sadar and Bakerganj upazilas.”

Replying to a query, the commissioner said they are determined to hold a free and fair election without taking anyone’s side.

He also put forward some guidelines before the attending officials ahead of the election.

Barishal divisional commissioner Showkat Ali, deputy inspector general of police (Barishal range) Jamil Hasan, Barishal Metropolitan Police Commissioner Jahedul Kabir, deputy commissioner Shahidul Islam and high-ranked officials of local administration, among others, were present in the meeting.