Dhaka, March 23 (IANS) Stray incidents of violence marred the fourth phase of local body elections in 91 sub-districts in Bangladesh Sunday conducted amid tight security and fears of escalating violence, a media report said.
The voting began at 8 a.m and will conclude at 4 p.m., the Daily Star reported.
More than 1.38 crore voters are entitled to exercise their ballot Sunday to elect one chairman and two vice chairmen each to the local body in 91 upazilas of 43 districts.
The Daily Star report said activists of ruling Awami League snatched ballot boxes in two centres of Patuakhali Sadar sub-district of Barisal division, and stuffed ballot boxes at 20 centres in Barura upazila of Comilla district in Chittagong division hours before the voting began.
Awami League activists allegedly also took control of a number of polling centres in Khulna division.
Following violence in the previous three phases of polling, the Bangladesh’s Election Commission Saturday asked the army, police and other security agencies to take preventive measures for the remaining phases.
The fourth phase of the polls appears to be crucial as after the three phases the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-backed candidates and their Awami League-backed rivals are evenly matched, having won respectively 120 and 118 chairman posts.
Candidates backed by the Awami League lagged behind the BNP in the first two phases of the elections.
They, however, fought back sometimes through violent means in some upazilas in the third phase March 15, and won 10 more chairmen posts than their BNP rivals.
The first round of the elections was held Feb 19 for 102 sub-districts, the second round Feb 23 for 117 upazilas, and the third for 83 upazilas March 18.
The elections for the local bodies in 487 upazilas will be completed in six phases.