According to Fair Election Monitoring Agency (FEMA), the election commission made excellent arrangements for holding the by-polls.

The turn out of the voters was, however, comparatively low, said a FEMA press release.

It said the activists of four-party alliance candidate hindered the entry of the voters of minority community in some polling centres.

In between 9:30am and 11:00am, they obstructed the entry of some minority voters at Vanua Government Primary School Centre.

The voters, however, could exercise their franchise at the intervention of the members of the law-enforcing agency.

FEMA report mentioned that there were also attempts to cast fake votes in almost every centres. Two fake voters were caught in the Agricultural Research High School Centre and the mobile court fined them Tk 1000 each on charge of impersonation.

National Election Observation Council (NEOC) and Bangladesh Manobadhikar Samannoy Parishad (BMSP) have also said the by-election was largely fair and peaceful.

Out of the total 195 polling centres, BMSP observed 18 centres while NEOC 180 centres.

At a joint press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity office yesterday, NEOC Chairman Prof Nazmul Ahsan Kalimulla said it was remarkable that the defeated candidate accepted the result which is not normally practised in our political culture.

He said under the existing system, the election commission is not actually independent.

He also suggested heavy punishment for fake voters.

BMSP Chairman AHM Nouman also attended the conference.