Thakurgaon:Undeterred by age and physical challenges, two elderly voters turned up to cast their ballots in the Thakurgaon-1 by-election on Thursday, demonstrating their determination to exercise their democratic rights. Mohammad Jasim Uddin, 98, and Amela Bewa, 89, arrived at a polling center to cast their votes with the assistance of others, drawing the attention of fellow voters.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Jasim Uddin entered the polling center with the assistance of a member of the Ansar force. Despite struggling to walk because of his advanced age, he came to cast his vote. Meanwhile, Amela Bewa reached the center leaning on the shoulder of her nephew, Abdul Rashid. Her determination to vote despite her physical difficulties highlighted the importance she attached to exercising her democratic right.
As both elderly voters had difficulty speaking, their comments could not be obtained. Mohammad Arif Hossain, the presiding officer of the polling center, noted that voter turnout was relatively low in the morning but was gradually increasing as the day progressed. Voters were arriving steadily and exercising their franchise. The center has a total of 3,076 registered voters, he added.
Thakurgaon District Election Officer and Returning Officer Mohammad Kamrul Islam said all necessary preparations had been completed to ensure a free, fair, and impartial election. Adequate law enforcement personnel had been deployed at polling centers, while striking forces and reserve forces were kept ready to deal with any emergency.
According to election office, voting is taking place at 185 polling centers across Thakurgaon Sadar, Ruhia, and Bhulli areas of the constituency. Of these, 113 are in Thakurgaon Sadar Upazila, 33 in the newly formed Ruhia Upazila, and 39 in Bhulli Upazila. The constituency has a total of 515,853 voters, including 257,219 men, 258,630 women, and four voters from the third gender. A total of 287 voters have registered to cast their ballots through postal voting, including 249 men and 38 women.
Meanwhile, the nominations of six candidates were declared valid after scrutiny on September 29. They were BNP candidates Mirza Faisal Amin and Md. Obaidullah Masud; Jamaat-e-Islami and like-minded parties' candidate Delawar Hossain; Islami Andolan Bangladesh candidate Hafez Dr. Md. Khademul Islam; Md. Abdul Alim Nizami; and Husain Muhammad Omar Faruk. However, Md. Obaidullah Masud withdrew his candidacy on October 5 following a party decision, leaving five candidates in the final contest. BNP's Mirza Faisal Amin and Jamaat candidate Delawar Hossain are widely expected to be the principal contenders.
In the 13th parliamentary election held on February 12, BNP candidate Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir won the seat with 228,075 votes. His nearest rival, Jamaat candidate Delawar Hossain, secured 132,584 votes, while Islami Andolan Bangladesh candidate Hafez Dr. Md. Khademul Islam received 833 votes. The seat fell vacant after Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir was elected President, prompting the by-election.