Sporadic violence intimidation marked the third phase voting in the union parishad elections across the country on Monday.
Union parishad elections in former enclaves in Lalmonirhat, Kurigram and Panchagarh ended peacefully. The voting began at 8:00am and ended at 4:00pm without any major untoward incident.
Over 16,000 voters of former enclaves exercised their voting right for the first time to elect chairmen and members in each of 22 union parishads.
In Feni, elections were held in 11 unions under Sadar, Parashuram and Fulgazi upazilas. As of 9:30am, the presence of voters and polling agents at the centres was minimal, but Awami League supporters crowded outside the centres, reports our correspondent.
A clash took place between the supporters of an Awami League-backed member candidate and the AL rebel candidate in Dharmapur union under upazila. At least eight people were hit by bullets in the clash and two cars were set afire.
Polls were held in Sadar's Baligaon and Dharmapur, Fulgazi's Sadar, Munsirhat, Amzadhat, Anandapur and Darbarpur unions and Parshuram's Mirzanagar, Chithalia and Bakshmahmud unions.
Superintendent of Police Rezaul Haque said adequate number of law enforcers were on duty at each centre to ensure a peaceful voting.
Our Chandpur correspondent adds: Police arrested four local leaders of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) along with eight lethal weapons from Alonia village in Faridganj upazila on Sunday night.
The arrestees are Faridganj municipality unit BCL vice president Mahbub Hossain, general secretary Jahirul Islam, upazila unit BCL publicity and publication secretary Robiul
Hossain and Faridganj Bangabandhu Degree College unit BCL general secretary Mohaimin Sarwar.
Md Ashrafuzzaman, additional superintendent of Chandpur police, said police arrested them along with the firearms and some 'chocolate bombs' from the area.
According our Bhola Correspondent, five people, including a woman, were injured in a clash between the followers of two member candidates of ward No 2 in Bapta Union Parishad (UP) during the voting on Monday morning. Helal Uddin, the district election officer, said supporters of member candidate Md Faruk attacked supporters of his rival candidate Maksudur Rahman Nirob. The clash left five, including Nirob's wife Parvin, injured. Later, police and members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) brought the situation under control.
Voting was held in four centres in Bhola Sadar and three centres in Daulatkhan upazila. Voting at the centres was cancelled due to violence during the staggered countrywide UP elections.
BNP joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi came up with the allegation at a press briefing at BNP's Nayapaltan central office on Monday.
Rizvi said the ruling party men established their control over almost all polling stations in Barisal, Noakhali, Feni, Lalmonirhat, Thakurgaon, Patuakhali, Laxmipur, Narsingdi, Mymensingh, Brahmanbaria, Natore, Pirojpur, Shariatpur, Jessore and Manikganj districts. They ousted the agents of BNP candidates from the polling centres.
He said the BNP leaders and activists were attacked and harassed in many UPs to discourage voters so that they do not go to the voting centres.
