Chattogram sees midday surge fade into afternoon slump

Voter presence in Chattogram dropped sharply in the final hours of the national election and state reform referendum on Thursday, despite a significant surge during the morning and midday periods.

Visits to at least eight centres across four constituencies revealed near‑empty premises in the final hours.

At Enayet Bazar Mahila College Chattogram, only 332 of 773 registered voters had cast ballots by 3:35pm.

Presiding Officer Md Shah Alam said turnout across six booths stood at 35 percent by mid‑afternoon.

At Anderkilla Muslim Education Society High School, 29 percent of 5,196 registered voters had voted by 2:30pm.

Omargani MES College reported 37 percent turnout by 3:30pm, with officials noting that most voters had arrived in the morning.

In Chattogram‑14 (Chandanaish), turnout reached 47 percent at Suchiya Ramakrishna High School, while another centre in South Hashimpur recorded 72 percent.

In Chattogram‑16 (Banshkhali), turnout was 43 percent by midday at Puichari Sultania Govt Primary School, with officials noting higher male participation in the morning and more women later in the day.

At Kalipur Ezharul Haque High School, 57 percent of 4,947 registered voters had cast ballots by 2:45pm.

The Election Commission reported 47.91 percent turnout nationwide by 2pm across 36,031 centres, with results from 6,620 centres still pending.