Polling begins in Sherpur-3 and Bogura-6 constituencies

Voting has started in two constituencies—Sherpur-3, where a general election is being held, and Bogura-6, which is going to the polls in a by-election.

Polling began at 7:30am and will continue until 4:30pm, with a festive atmosphere reported in both areas.

Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud said on Wednesday that the Election Commission has taken all necessary preparations. He noted that the situation is fully under control so far, with a strong presence of law enforcement personnel deployed across both constituencies. He warned that no irregularities will be tolerated and expressed confidence that the level of preparedness would deter any wrongdoing.

He added that law enforcement agencies are ready to respond firmly to any unexpected situation.

According to a correspondent in Bogura, the Bogura-6 constituency—comprising Bogura Sadar Upazila and known as an industrial hub—has 150 polling centres and 450,307 voters. Of these, 53 centres have been identified as high-risk.

Meanwhile, in Sherpur-3, which includes Sreebardi and Jhenaigati upazilas, there are 128 polling centres with a total of 413,377 voters. Among them, 28 centres have been marked as highly risky, while 32 centres in the Garo hill areas are considered remote.

For the first time in the 13th parliamentary election, the Election Commission introduced postal voting for both expatriate and domestic voters. A total of 7,309 voters registered for this system in the two constituencies.

In Bogura-6, ballot papers were sent to 1,281 expatriates and 2,455 local voters, while in Sherpur-3, they were sent to 383 expatriates and 3,190 domestic voters. However, turnout among expatriates has been low, with only five votes cast in Sherpur-3 and 23 in Bogura-6 as of yesterday.

Within the country, 1,095 voters in Sherpur-3 and 844 in Bogura-6 have cast their votes by post.

In the 13th parliamentary election, polling was held in 299 constituencies, with BNP winning 208 seats to form the government. The election in Sherpur-3 had been postponed following the death of a candidate.

Meanwhile, the Bogura-6 seat fell vacant after Prime Minister Tarique Rahman won from two constituencies and later relinquished this one, prompting the by-election.

In Bogura-6, BNP candidate Rezaul Karim Badsha, Jamaat candidate Abidur Rahman Sohel, and Bangladesh Development Party candidate Al Amin Talukdar are in the race.

In Sherpur-3, the candidates are BNP’s Mahmudul Haque Rubel, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s Masudur Rahman, and Bangladesh Socialist Party (Marxist) candidate Mohammad Mizanur Rahman.