Voting in the four constituencies of Jhenaidah district proceeded peacefully today, marked by a presence of female voters since voting began at 7:30am.
In Jhenaidah-2, various polling centres including Abdur Rakib Girls’ High School, Government Keshab Chandra College, Uzir Ali Government Primary School, Government Girls High School,Shaheed Mosharraf Hossain Government Primary School, Government Boys High School, and Jhenaidah College recorded a female presence that notably outnumbered male voters.
Sadia Afrin, a first-time voter at the Government KC College centre, expressed a mix of excitement and nervousness. She told the reporters, she had prepared for the day by watching online videos to learn the voting process and how to fold ballot papers correctly.
At the same centre, 75-year-old Rijia Khatun arrived with her grandson, saying she chose to vote despite difficulties because candidates had personally visited her home and she hoped to see positive changes in the country.
In Jhenaidah-1, Jaya Biswas, a student of the Social Welfare department at Islamic University, cast her vote at the Jhaudia Government Primary School centre.
She emphasised that she came of her own initiative, seeking a change in the national political trend. She called upon the elected representatives to ensure a discrimination-free Bangladesh and to guarantee the security of people of all religions and castes.
The Jhaudia centre comprises 2,241 voters, including 1,143 women and 1,098 men.
Presiding officers across the district reported an orderly process. At Uzir Ali Government Primary School, 429 out of 2,531 votes were cast by 10am.
Presiding Officer Md Bakhtiar Uddin confirmed that women had been queuing since the morning. At Porahati Government Primary School in Sadar upazila, 908 out of 4,157 votes were cast by 10:30am.
Presiding Officer Md Mehedi Hasan observed that while female presence was heavy early in the day, the number of male voters increased as the morning progressed.
By 11:30am, the Jhaudia centre recorded a 43 percent presence with 967 votes polled, according to Presiding Officer Mina Khanam.
In Jhenaidah-4 (covering Kaliganj and four unions of Sadar upazila), Assistant Returning Officer and Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Rizwana Nahid reported a 35 percent presence by noon. She described the atmosphere as festive and the presence of women as highly satisfactory.
Similarly, in Jhenaidah-3, Assistant Returning Officer and Moheshpur UNO Khadija Akhter reported a 45 percent presence in Moheshpur upazila by 12:30pm, noting the spontaneous participation of women.
District Returning Officer and Deputy Commissioner Abdullah Al Masud said approximately 11,000 security personnel have been deployed to ensure safe and fair elections across the district’s 588 centres, 237 of which have been identified as important.
The security deployment includes 7,644 Ansar members, 1,644 police officers, 1,029 army personnel, 48 RAB members, and 222 BGB members.
Furthermore, 12 judicial magistrates, 16 executive magistrates, and multiple mobile striking forces are on duty. A total of 21 candidates are contesting the four constituencies, representing 1,596,393 voters.
