<div style="text-align: justify; "><b style="font-size: 1rem;">Voting in the by-polls to the six parliamentary seats — left vacant after BNP MPs resigned —is going on amid some stray incidents today.</b><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Voting began at 8:30 am and will continue till 4:30 pm, said SM Asaduzzaman, Joint Secretary of the Election Commission.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The six constituencies are: Thakurgaon-3, Bogura-4 and 6, Chapainawabganj-2, 3 and Brahmanbaria-2.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Electronic voting machines (EVMs) are being used in the by-elections. However, no CCTV cameras have been installed in the polling centers, he added.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Forty aspirants are vying in the 6 constituencies for MP post.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">In Chapainawabganj, a chase and counter-chase happened between supporters of two candidates at the District Ideal High School Centre around 9 am.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A scuffle took place between the supporters of independent candidate Samiul Haque Liton and Awami League backed candidate Abdul Wadud at the polling station -- triggering a chase and counter-chase, said Additional Superintendent of Chapainawabganj Police, Abul Kalam Shaheed.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">However, police brought the situation under control. A crude bomb was seized from the spot.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Voting in the by-election for Brahmanbaria-2 (Sarail-Ashuganj) constituency was going on peacefully amid low voter turnout till filing of this report around noon.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Abu Asif Ahmed, an expelled leader of BNP and an independent candidate, still remains missing since Friday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">By-polls to 6 JS seats underway amid stray incidents&nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;">Some 1,100 police have been deployed at the polling stations while four platoons of BGB members, nine teams of RAB, nine mobile teams of police, and four striking teams were also performing their duties to maintain the law and order situation.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">A total of 22,55,217 people are expected to exercise their franchise in 867 polling centers.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Meanwhile, the government on Tuesday announced a public holiday on Wednesday in the election areas on the occasion of the by-elections.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Earlier on December 10, 2022 at a public rally, parliamentarians of BNP announced their resignation from the JS. The next day, on December 11, Chapainawabganj-2 lawmaker Md Aminul Islam, Bogura-4 lawmaker Md. Mosharraf Hossain, Bogura-6 lawmaker Golam Mohammad Siraj, and Thakurgaon-3 lawmaker Zahidur Rahman resigned from the parliament.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Two other BNP lawmakers — Advocate Abdus Sattar of Brahmanbaria-2 constituency and Harun-or-Rashid of Chapainawabganj-3 — resigned from the parliament later. UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>