Voting is underway today in 60 upazilas for the fourth phase of the sixth Upazila Parishad Election. Voting began at 8 am and will continue till 4 pm without any break. UNB’s Cumilla correspondent reported that voting was underway in a peaceful environment in Chauddagram, Homna and Nangalkot upazilas of the district since this morning. Though the turnout of voters was thin initially, their presence increased with time.  No untoward incidents centring the election were reported till filing this report around 10:45 am.   A total of 721 candidates are in the electoral race for 180 posts of 60 Upazila Parishad. 175 platoons of BGB deployed ahead of 4th phase Upazila polls They include 251 chairman contenders, 265 vice chairman and 205 women (reserved) vice chairman contestants. Electronic voting machines are being used at six upazilas while the traditional ballot papers are being used in the rest. A security team of 17-19 are guarding each polling station in the plain land districts, while a security team of 19-21 are guarding polling stations in the CHT and very remote areas.

The fourth phase of the country’s sixth Upazila Parishad Election is set to be held in 60 upazilas under 26 districts in the country on Wednesday. The voting will begin at 8:00am and continue till 4:00 pm without any break. A total of 721 candidates are in the electoral race  against 180 posts of 60 Upazila Parishads. The candidates include 251 chairman contenders, 265 vice chairman and 205 women (reserved) vice chairman contestants. Some 1.44 crore voters (exactly 1,43,57,820) are registered under 5,144 polling stations in the 60 upazilas, according to the factsheets provided by the Election Commission on Tuesday. Among them, the electronic voting machines will be used in six upazilas, while the traditional ballot papers will be used in the rest upazilas. On April 24 last, the Election Commission announced the schedule for third phase Upazila Parishad polls. A security team of 17-19 members would guard each polling station in the plain districts, while a security team of 19-21 members would protect a polling station in the Chittagong hill tracts and very remote areas. This time, the Election Commission is arranging the sixth Upazila Parishad election in four phases.  The commission declared the election schedule to hold polls in some 450 upazilas out of the country's 495 upazilas. The first phase election was held in 139 upazila parishads on May last 8, while the second phase election in 156 upazilas on May 21 last and the third phase election in 90 upazilas on May 29 last.     

The High Court on Monday stayed the Election Commission's decision that cancelled the candidacy of three aspirants of Patuakhail's Rangabali upazila for the fourth phase of upazila polls to be held on June 5. The High Court bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice Muhammad Mahbub-ul Islam passed the order on Monday after hearing separate writs. Barrister Syed Sayedul Haque Suman moved for the petitioner during the hearing. He said that due to this order, those three candidates are now in the election race. Nearly 35 per cent vote cast in third phase upazila polls: CEC The three candidates are Rangabali upazila chairman candidate Saiduzzman Mamun, vice chairman candidate Roushan Mridha and candidate for vice chairman reserved for women Ferdousi Parveen. On May 31, the EC asked the State Minister for Disaster Management and Relief Mohibbur Rahman to appear in person on June 2 and explain the violation of the electoral code of conduct, The EC in separate letters also asked Saiduzzman Mamun, Roushan Mridha and Ferdousi Parveen to appear before the commission to explain in this regard on the same day. According to the letter, State Minister  Mohibbur, while distributing relief at Kodalia Ghat in Chhota Baishdia Union of Rangabali upazila of Patuakhali and in Chaltabunia Bazar of Chaltabunia Union sought votes for different candidates which is a complete violation of electoral code of conduct. Later on Sunday, the state minister and three candidates appeared in the EC. After the hearing, the EC cancelled the candidature of the three aspirants in the Rangabali Upazila Parishad election as they violated the electoral code of conduct. Businesspeople dominate 2nd phase Upazila Parishad Elections too: TIB Besides, the state minister expressed his regret in a written statement to the commission. Taking that into consideration, the commission acquitted him of the charges. Following the order, three candidates moved to the High Court.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal on Sunday said if it is possible to organize national elections step by step then it can be done in a more free, fair and acceptable manner. He said this process will help the commission to hold the elections easily. CEC Kazi Habibul Awal made the remarks after a meeting with the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) delegation at the Nirbachan Bhavan in the capital's Agargaon area on Sunday afternoon. Habibul Awal said we have asked TIB to make awareness on the issue of holding the national election step by step. This process will help EC to deploy more law enforce agencies which help to maintain law and order and peaceful voter-friendly environment. He said without the help of political parties, EC would not be able to organize a free, fair and credible election. A five-member delegation headed by TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman visited EC on Sunday.

In the third phase of upazila polls on Wednesday voters exercised their  rights in a free and fair environment, Awami League  General Secretary and Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader said. "We have come to know initially that approximately 35 per cent of votes have been cast but final figure will be known tomorrow,' he said in a post-election press briefing this afternoon. "Except for two stray incidents, the election was held in a festive atmosphere. “No casualties were reported so far,” he added. Nearly 35 per cent vote cast in third phase upazila polls: CEC At that time, Quader, on behalf of the Awami League, thanked the Election Commission and all others involved for holding the election peacefully. Regarding voter turnout, he said they thought it would be low due to the effects of the cyclone. "Roads were destroyed in many places due to the influence of cyclone Remal. In this situation, a voter turnout of 35 percent or more is fairly satisfactory," Quader stated. BNP claimed that ex-IGP Benazir and former army chief Aziz Ahmad were created by the Awami League. Replying to such a question,  Awami League general secretary posed a counter question and said Ashraful Huda, Rakibul Huda, Kohinoor - who created them? Who created the powerhouse of corruption "Hawa Bhaban"? Did BNP bring them under justice? Sheikh Hasina has this courage. That is why she declared zero tolerance against corruption. Govt’s existence has already been tainted by widespread corruption: Fakhrul Awami League Organising Secretary BM Mozammel Haque, SM Kamal Hossain, Mirza Azam, Liberation War Affairs Secretary Mrinal Kanti Das, Relief and Social Welfare Secretary Aminul Islam Amin, Office Secretary Barrister Biplab Barua, Deputy Office Secretary Advocate Sayem Khan were also present.

Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal on Wednesday said approximately 35 per cent votes were cast in the third phase of Upazila Parishad polls. It would take a few hours to know the exact voter turnout,  the CEC said at a press briefing held at the Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital’s Agargaon. Businesspeople dominate 2nd phase Upazila Parishad Elections too: TIB He said six people were injured in stray incidents, 30 people were arrested and two were sentenced for various irregularities. Earlier, Election Commission Secretary Jahangir Alam told reporters that voter turnout was approximately 20 per cent in the first four hours. The voting began at 8:00am and continued till 4:00 pm without any break. UZ elections: 1 dead as law enforcers open fire over alleged rigging in Dinajpur A total of 1,196 candidates contested against 261 posts in 87 Upazila Parishads. The candidates include 397 chairman contenders, 456 vice chairman and 299 women (reserved) vice chairman contestants.

The second phase of the country's sixth upazila parishad election will be held with the balloting in 156 different districts in the country on Tuesday (21 May). The voting will begin at 8:00am and will continue till 4:00 pm without any break. Some 1,824 candidates, including 603 chairman contenders are in the electoral race in the 156 upazila parishads, against a total of 468 posts –-chairman post, vice chairman and women vice chairman posts in each upazila. Businesspeople dominate 2nd phase Upazila Parishad Elections too: TIB More than 3.52 crore voters – 1,79,05,464 males, 1,72,99,047 females and 237 transgender persons -- are registered under 13,016 polling stations in the 156  upazilas, according to the factsheet provided by the Election Commission on Sunday. Among them, the electronic voting machines will be used at 24 upazilas in nine districts, while the traditional ballot papers in the rest upazilas. On 2 April, the Election Commission announced the election schedule for 161 upazila parishads in the second phase. A security team of 17-19 members would guard each polling station in the plain districts, while a security team of 19-21 members would protect a polling station in the Chittagong hill tracts and very remote areas. Upazila polls: EC orders transfer of Matlab Thana OC, SI This time, the Election Commission is arranging the sixth upazila parishad election in four phases.  The commission has already declared the election schedule to hold polls in some 480 upazilas out of the country's 495 upazilas. The first phase election was held in 139 upazila parishads of 59 districts on 8 May last. The third phase election will be held in some 110 Upazilas on 29 May and 4th phase polls more than 50 upazilas on 5 June.

The dominance of businesspeople is prevalent in the second phase of sixth Upazila Elections too, with 71 per cent chairman candidate belonging  to the business community. Among the chairman candidates, 105 are millionaires and the number of millionaire aspirants has tripled in the sixth phase polls compared to the fifth Upazila Elections. Anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) on Sunday revealed the information at a press conference held at TIB office at Dhanmondi after analysing the affidavits submitted to the Election Commission ahead of second phase upazila polls. Upazila election with or without party symbol doesn’t conflict with law: LGRD Minister Apart from the chairman aspirants, 8 vice-chairman candidates , three candidates for vice-chairman posts reserved for women are millionaire. In the second phase, elections to 160 upazila parishads are scheduled to be held on May 21. TIB has obtained affidavit information of candidates of 157 upazilas from the Election Commission. In the 157 upazilas, 599 are contesting for chairman post while 689 for vice-chairman and 523 for vice-chairman posts reserved for women. UZ elections: Predominance of businessmen points to era of politics for profit, says TIB According to TIB, 70.51 per cent chairman candidates in the second phase upazila parishad election mentioned themselves as businesspeople while second highest 12.17 introduced themselves as farmer. Besides, lawyers (4.17 per cent) and teachers (4.17 per cent) are  in third and fourth positions respectively. Moreover, 68.73 per cent vice-chairman aspirants introduced themselves as businessman and 52 per cent candidates for vice-chairman posts reserved for women have addressed themselves as housewife while 29 per cent as businesspeople, the TIB said. Voting centres where fake votes are cast will be shut immediately: EC TIB said like the Jatiya Sangsad election, candidates from the business community are dominating local body election and this domination is on the rise.

Local Government, Rural Development and Cooperatives (LGRD) Minister Md Tazul Islam has said that participating in the local government elections with party nomination or as an individual candidate both have merits and demerits. He also said that the upazila election with or without party symbol does not conflict with existing law.    He made the remarks while addressing a debate competition at the auditorium of the Film Development Corporation (FDC) in the city on Sunday. Debate for Democracy organised the event, with its chairman Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiran, in the chair. The LGRD Minister said votes cast in the name of dead persons or children is an isolated incident, and is not desirable. He said that things change over time, and the electoral system may also change. “I don't think Bangladesh is the best democratic country in the world. But democracy is an ongoing process.” Tajul Islam said that democracy must be advanced through dialogue and debate among all parties. If political parties stop talking, democracy will go backwards. “It is not possible to consolidate a democratic system overnight. There are debates about elections in many countries including America, Canada, and India”, he said. He noted that the Netherlands had to hold re-election due to low turnout. If those who speak about a level playing field in the elections do not come to the elections then how will it be implemented, he questioned. Even after banning Imran Khan's party in Pakistan, they participated in the elections with various tactics. Chairman of Debate for Democracy Hasan Ahmed Chowdhury Kiran said BNP and its partners have boycotted the upazila election like the national election. If BNP participated in the election, this would have been more participatory and acceptable. Debaters of Dhaka Medical College won by defeating the debaters of Manarat International University in the shadow parliament titled “Non-partisan local government elections will consolidate democracy at the grassroots level.” Judges in the competition were Professor Abu Muhammad Rais, journalist Mainul Alam, journalist Moshiur Rahman Khan, journalist Md. Humayun Kabir and Journalist Sadia Afroz.  

 The influence of businessmen is increasingly evident in local government elections, leading to a predominance of politics for profit or personal interest over public welfare, according to Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB). The corruption watchdog made this observation during a press conference on Monday, that was arranged to present their analysis of the affidavits the contenders submitted with their nomination papers for the first phase of the Sixth Upazila Parishad Election. The same analysis revealed astonishing increases in wealth among incumbent Upazila Parishad representatives, outdoing even MPs - although most of them would have started from a lower base compared to MPs. TIB said there is a growing tendency to view elections as an 'investment opportunity' ignoring public interest, and this has now evidently spread to the grassroots level as well. According to TIB's analysis of candidate affidavits, the growing influence of businessmen in local government elections is now almost similar to the national election, where the influence of businesses has been noted from even earlier. The proportion of candidates with business backgrounds has risen by 8 percentage points compared to the fourth election, reaching 56 percent. Among these candidates, some 69.86 percent of chairman candidates, 66.59 percent of vice chairman candidates, and 24.37 percent of female vice chairman candidates are involved in businesses. Additionally, 19.5 percent of candidates listing their occupation as housewife or housekeeper derive income from business ventures. Speaking at the press conference, TIB Executive Dr Iftekharuzzaman said, “In our country, politics and public representation are power-oriented. Personal gain often takes priority over public welfare. Additionally, principles such as respect for the law, party discipline, and adherence to party decisions, which are expected from democratic institutions like political parties, are now held hostage to power politics.” He said the pursuit of political power is seen as a pathway to unlimited wealth expansion, resulting in unhealthy competition. “Of concern is whether businessmen entering politics are following proper procedures and engaging in fair competition. Those who still aspire to promote a healthy, people-oriented political culture are now nearly extinct or marginalised in the face of power politics,” he added. In continuation of their regular analysis of candidates' affidavits ahead of parliamentary elections in the country, TIB conducted dashboard analysis and reviewed affidavits of candidates participating in Upazila Parishad elections. The TIB executive director termed the results of the analysis of the candidates' wealth statements as 'shocking'. Over a 5-year period, the highest spike in movable assets among parliamentarians, according to TIB's own analysis, had been recorded at a staggering 3065%, prior to the 12th parliamentary election.  But among incumbent Upazila Parishad chairmen - starting from a comparatively lower base in most cases - who are running again in this year's election (phase 1), the highest spike in movable assets has been recorded at an astounding 4251%. When it comes to income, the highest growth recorded among Upazila Parishad chairmen was an eye-watering 3319% over 5 years,  which went up to an incredible 18233% for a chairman incumbent for 10 years now. The highest increase in assets belonging to wives and dependents among the UP chairmen running again is an almost obscene 12,400%. “From the analysis, we see that the earnings of many candidates have increased astonishingly, and in some cases, the rate of increase of income and wealth is even higher than that of national election candidates. There are also doubts whether the information provided in the affidavits are legit or correct. Some candidates have presented very low income, which is unbelievable.” The analysis of affidavits also portrayed how at least nine candidates own more land than the legal limit of 100 bigha or 33 acres. Moreover, 23.41 percent of candidates have loans or liabilities. Among them, the highest amount of loan is BDT 1,528 crore. The analysis further shows that 16.64 percent candidates in the first phase of the Upazila elections have been accused in legal cases. On the other hand, only 7 percent of candidates of the first phase of Upazila Elections are multi-millionaires based on movable assets, while some 9 percent candidates have movable assets less than a crore BDT. Among them, 94 chairman aspirants and 23 vice chairman aspirants, including six hopefuls for reserved seats are multi-millionaires. But there were 37 multi-millionaires in the 5th election. TIB's analysis showed that the participation of women is less compared to the national election. There are only 25 women candidates for the chairman post in the Upazila Elections. Overall, analysis shows that 40 per cent of the candidates do not have taxable incomes as they stated their incomes less than BDT 3.5 lakhs annually. TIB’s Director of Outreach and Communication, Mohammad Tauhidul Islam presented the analysis.