DHAKA: Counting of votes in 639 union parishads (UP) of the country is underway on Thursday morning (March 31) amid tight security.

The elections started at 8:00am and continued till 4:00pm.

Over 1.12-crore voters exercised their franchise rights in 6,205 polling centers on the day.

This was the second phase of first ever partisan UP polls in the country.

As many as 2,662 candidates are vying for chairman posts. Of them, 1,493 candidates, including 639 from ruling Awami League (AL), 560 from BNP, 149 from Jamaat-e-Islami and 24 from Jasod, are from 17 parties.

AS many as 1,169 candidates are vying as independent chairman runners.

Besides, 6,498 and 21,259 candidates are respectively vying for posts of reserved women and councilor.

Meanwhile, the election commission (EC) sources said that 31 chairmen have already been elected uncontested from AL.

However, EC has appointed 20 law enforcers in each polling centers to ensure peaceful environment here.

Besides, four executive magistrates and one judicial magistrate were deployed in each upazila.

Members of RAB, BGB and coast guards are also deployed so that voters can cast their votes peacefully.

On March 22, the EC organized the first phase of UP polls in 717 unions of the country.

BDST: 1734 HRS, MAR 31, 2016
SR/RR