BNP senior leader Mirza Abbas on Wednesday said it was a great joke that law enforcers were calling voters to cast their votes as dogs were sleeping at the voting centres during by-polls to Brahmanbaria-2 seat. “By-elections are being held (Wednesday) in various seats, including Brahmanbaria-2. There has been no voters in the polling station since morning. The media are saying three/four dogs are sleeping at a centre in Brahmanbaria,” he said. In a brief address prior to inaugurating their party’s fourth march programme, the BNP leader said, “Allah saves us as the dogs have no right to vote…I have just got the news that the police are urging voters to come to the polling station using loudspeakers. I have never heard such a great joke in my life.” The by-polls to the six parliamentary seats — left vacant after BNP MPs resigned —were held amid some stray incidents on Wednesday. The six constituencies are: Thakurgaon-3, Bogura-4 and 6, Chapainawabganj-2, 3 and Brahmanbaria-2. Advocate Abdus Sattar who resigned from the Brahmanbaria-2 seat contested the by-polls. BNP leaders alleged that the government was playing various tricks to ensure the victory of Sattar, who was expelled from the party.” Leaders and activists of BNP's Dhaka South City unit marched towards the capital's Malibagh from Kamalapur Stadium, ending the party’s 4-day programme to press home their  10-point demand, including holding the next general election under a  non-party caretaker government. Mirza Abbas formally inaugurated the programme in front of Bir Shrestha Shaheed Sipahi Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Stadium in Kamalapur around 3:25 pm. The march ended at Malibgah Bazar after parading over nearly a five-kilometre stretch of the road via Mugda and Khilgaon. Read more: Mirza Fakhrul, Mirza Abbas picked up by detectives: BNP This was the fourth and last such programme of BNP, as the party's Dhaka north city unit marched from Badda to Malibagh on Saturday and the Dhaka south city unit marched from Jatrabari to Jurain on Monday and North City unit marched from Gabtoli to Mirpur on Tuesday. Abbas urged the government to quit power for holding a credible election under a carter government. He said the caretaker government was the main demand of the Awami League and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami in 1996.  “The Prime Minister at that time wanted the caretaker government for life. But they can’t keep their words,” he observed.   The BNP leader said the government has become scared of losing power even seeing a silent march of the BNP. “The fall of this regime is impending and their days are numbered.” He also said their march is an advanced funeral procession of the current government. Abbas slammed the government for increasing the power tariff just 19 days after the previous hike. He said the current ‘fascist and monstrous’ regime must be removed from power to ensure the welfare of the people and protect the country from misrule.

Some 50 per cent voters cast ballots in the Narayanganj City Corporation election that was held peacefully on Sunday, said Secretary of the Election Commission (EC) Md. Humayun Kabir Khandaker. The Tangail-7 by-polls and five municipalities’ elections were held peacefully on the day, he said at a post-election conference at the EC Secretariat here on Sunday evening. Read: NCC polls: Voting ends peacefully, counting begins “According to initial assumptions, the voter turnout was some 50 per cent in Narayanganj City Corporation election. Besides, the voter turnout was some 31 per cent in Tangail-7 by-polls and some 60 per cent in five municipalities,” said the EC secretary. Noting that there was a massive turnout of voters in all election areas, the EC official said the EC monitored all the elections through its control room. “So far none has lodged any complaint and no untoward incident has been reported there. The Tangail-7 by-polls as well as Narayanganj City Corporation and five municipalities’ elections held peacefully,” he said. About the slow vote-casting through Electronic Voting Machine (EVMs), he said the EC earlier arranged mock voting through EVMs in Narayanganj. But the response of voters was low to the mock voting. Read:NCC polls see good voter turnout, says Returning Officer Since it needed to explain the system before the voters while they were in queues, it might take time, said Humayun. When his attention was drawn to the remark of Election Commissioner Mahbub Talukder that the EC was not informed about those arrested during the Narayanganj election, the EC official said, “It is Talukder Sir who can say better about it actually. But the returning officer addressed all the complaints she received.”

The number of voters in Bangladesh has increased to 11.17 crore (111.7 million) with the inclusion of 19 lakh fresh voters in the last one year, but the share of female voters has slightly declined to 49.33 percent from the previous 49.48 percent.

Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq on Monday said the Election Commission (EC) must remain vigilant so that Rohingyas or citizens of other countries cannot become voters of Bangladesh illegally.

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Tuesday said the apathy of voters during the recently held Dhaka city elections is not good for Bangladesh democracy.