<div style="text-align: justify; "><b><span style="font-size: 1rem;">As the day unfolded, the Khulna City Corporation (KCC) election witnessed a decline in voter turnout, with many polling centres looking deserted.</span><br></b></div><div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Talking to presiding officers, UNB's Khulna correspondent reported that on average, 11 percent votes were cast as of 11 am.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Shaheed Suhrawardy College centre under ward 25 witnessed a particularly low voter turnout with a voting rate of 9.02 percent. Ranjit Kumar Biswas, presiding officer of the centre, said only 135 votes had been cast by 11 am, despite a total of 1,493 registered voters.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Similarly, under ward 18, the Darul Quran Siddiquia Kamil Madrasa centre also saw a low voter turnout with a rate of 10.25 percent. Mohammad Manik, presiding officer of the centre, said that out of 1,658 registered voters, a mere 170 had cast their votes by 11 am.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In ward 19, the National High School centre reported an 11 percent voter turnout. Two presiding officers from ward 27 said that the PTI women's centre had witnessed a 7.02 percent polling rate, while the men's centre had recorded a 9 percent turnout by 11 am.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">However, an exception was observed at the Khulna College centre, in ward 17. Out of 2,868 registered voters at that centre, 533 had cast their votes by 11 am, reflecting a polling rate of 18.58 percent.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A total of five candidates are vying for the mayoral post in Khulna city, 134 for 31 general councillors, and 39 for 10 reserved female councillors' posts.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">SM Khurshid Ahmed Tona in ward 13 and ZA Mahmud Don in ward 24 were elected unopposed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The total number of registered voters in Khulna City Corporation is 5,35,528. UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>