Voting in the Gazipur City Corporation (GCC) elections began on Tuesday morning to elect its new mayor and councillors.
The vote began at 8:00am and will continue till 4:00pm without any break at 425 polling stations.
Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) are being used in six centres while closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras have been installed in two.
Seven mayoral candidates—AL’s Jahangir Alam, BNP’s Hasan Uddin Sarker, CPB’s Kazi Mohammad Ruhul Amin, Islami Oikya Jote’s Fazlur Rahman, Islami Andolan Bangladesh’s M Nasir Uddin, Bangladesh Islami Front M Jalal Uddin and independent runner Farid Ahmed—are there in the race.
Besides, 345 candidates, 254 for councillor posts, 83 for reserved posts for women, are vying in the polls.
Total 11,37,736 voters will exercise their franchises in 57 wards for the country’s largest city corporation in terms of area.
A total of 67 executive magistrates and 19 judicial magistrates will also perform duties in the city corporation area from June 24 to 27.
Returning Officer (RO) Rakib Uddin Mondol said that the polls started in a festive atmosphere in all the booths.
Strict security measures have been beefed up to hold the election free and fair, he added.
Three-layer security system has been installed in the city. Around 10,500 members of the police, RAB, BGB are deployed in the poll centers with 57 police petrol team and 20 striking forces, returning office sources said.