15 to 20pc voter turnout in four hours, EC blames rain and gusty winds

The voter turnout in the first four hours of the first phase of the Upazila Parishad elections is around 15 to 20 per cent, says Election Commission Secretary Md Jahangir Alam.

He blamed rain and gusty winds for the lower turnout compared to other elections.

At a media briefing at his office around on Wednesday afternoon, he said the voter turnout was higher in the afternoon compared to that in the morning.

Voting opened at 8:00 am on Wednesday in 139 Upazilas across the country. As per the schedule, voting will continue until 4:00 pm in 11,556 poll centres without any break.

More than 31.4 million voters can cast their ballots in the first phase of the election and 1,619 candidates are participating in the election.

Voters in 22 upazilas are using electronic voting machines (EVMs) to cast votes. Traditional paper ballots are being used in other Upazilas.