The Election Commission will hold parliamentary elections in Bogura-6 and Sherpur-3 on April 9, with no referendum to be conducted in the Sherpur constituency, officials said Wednesday.
Senior Election Commission Secretary Akhtar Ahmed made the announcement following a law and order meeting at the EC Secretariat in Agargaon.
“Voting will take place from 7:30am to 4:30pm. While a referendum was previously held in Bogura, the referendum votes in Sherpur-3 cannot affect the election results. Therefore, a referendum there was not considered,” Ahmed told journalists.
The elections were necessitated after BNP Chairman and Prime Minister Tarique Rahman vacated the Bogura-6 seat, having been elected from both Bogura-6 and Dhaka-17. The Sherpur-3 election was earlier postponed following the death of a Jamaat-e-Islami candidate.
Security arrangements for the upcoming polls will follow the same deployment plan used during the 12 February national election, the EC secretary said, adding that law enforcement agencies including BGB and the army will perform duties according to designated schedules.
Enhanced technology deployment is planned, including increased use of body-worn cameras and security apps. While one camera per centre was used previously, multiple cameras may be deployed this time based on requirements.
Election inquiry committees and executive magistrates have already begun field work, with no reports of unpleasant or concerning incidents so far, Ahmed noted.
The deadline for appealing cancelled nomination papers has passed without any appeals filed. The final candidate list will be confirmed after withdrawal of candidature.
Arrangements have been made for expatriate voters through OCV and ICV postal ballots, with OCV ballots for overseas voters to be dispatched from Thursday. Domestic postal voting will commence around March 23 or 24.
The EC secretary expressed confidence in peaceful polls, stating that with relatively few centers – 150 in one constituency and 28 in the other – results will be published quickly once postal votes are counted.
