Thakurgaon:Nine polling officials have been withdrawn from their election duties in the Thakurgaon-1 by-election following allegations that they directly or indirectly supported the ruling party.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the officials were replaced after the allegations surfaced, as stated by District Election Officer and Returning Officer Kamrul Islam on Wednesday night. The withdrawn officials included teachers from different educational institutions and a bank official. They were serving as assistant presiding officers at various polling centers in Thakurgaon.
The officials removed from duty are Masud Rana, Zainal Abedin, Julfikar Ali, Farida Yasmin, Sadekul Islam, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, Obaidur Rahman, Shahadul Islam, and Abdul Jabbar. These individuals were stationed at polling centers in locations such as Thakurgaon municipality, Thakurgaon Government College, Thakurgaon Road Girls' High School, and several other educational institutions.
The Thakurgaon-1 constituency covers Thakurgaon Sadar, Ruhia, and Bhulli, with a total of 185 polling centers. It has 516,138 registered voters, including 250,053 men, 256,572 women, and four third-gender voters. Additionally, 287 voters have registered for postal voting. Voting is scheduled from 8 am to 4 pm on Thursday, with authorities emphasizing security and preparations at polling centers to ensure a smooth voting process. Five candidates are contesting in the by-election.