Municipality polls: 6 hurt in Jhalakathi

Six people including the mayor and rebel candidate of Awami League were injured today in Jhalakati Sadar upazila amid the ongoing municipal elections, being held in nine districts.

Mayor Afzal Hossain Rana went to visit the polling center at City Kindergarten School around 10:30am when men from the ruling party attacked him. They beat him up, along with five of his men and locked them in a room, reported our Jhalakati correspondent.

On information, the police rescued them and rushed them to the Jhalakati Sadar Upazila hospital before being transferred to Barisal Hospital where they are undergoing treatment. 

Meanwhile, voters are casting votes without disruptions in Kaliganj upazila of Jhenidah amid tight security.

Hundred of women came to Kashipur government primary school to cast their vote under Kaliganj upazila in Jhenidah. This photo was taken on March 20, 2016 by Azibor Rahman.

Voting in ten municipalities in nine districts began around 8:00am and is scheduled to continue till 4:00pm without a break.

SM Asaduzzaman, director (Public Relations) of the Election Commission, confirmed this to The Daily Star.

Additional law enforcement has been deployed in the polling centers to maintain law and order, Asaduzzaman added.

The 10 municipalities are Haragachh in Rangpur, Kaliganj in Jhenidah, Jhalakati, Bhanga in Faridpur, Brahmanbaria and Nangalkot in Comilla, Kabirhat in Noakhali, Sonagazi in Feni, and Chakoria and Maheshkhali in Cox's Bazar.

More than 35 lakh voters are expected to exercise their franchise at 176 polling centres in the 10 municipalities.

As many as 42 mayoral candidates, including 10 each from Awami League and BNP, are contesting the polls.

There are a total of 293 candidates in the electoral race for 93 general councillor posts, while 106 candidates are contesting 31 reserved seats for women.

The elections for 234 municipalities, out of the country's 323, were held with 20 political parties participating on December 30, 2015.