Polling begins smoothly at Uttara High School and College

Voters are casting their ballots in a festive atmosphere at the Uttara High School and College centre, officials in charge said on Wednesday.

During a visit to the centre at around 9:30 AM, groups of male and female voters were seen arriving to exercise their franchise.

Fariza Rahman, a first-time voter, came to the centre with her parents. She said she was very happy to cast her vote for the first time.

“I want the Bangladesh that the martyrs of the July mass uprising dreamed of,” she said, adding that she hopes the country will continue to move forward.

Another voter, Masud Ahsan Sajib, said he came to vote with his entire family. He noted that this was the first time he had been able to vote without any pressure.

“Previously, there was always a sense of pressure while voting. This time, that feeling is absent,” he said.

Presiding Officer Sadikuzzaman said the centre has a total of eight polling booths and voting has been proceeding smoothly without any problems.

He added that voter turnout stood at around 10 percent until 9:30 AM. “Turnout is usually lower in the early hours, but we expect more voters to arrive as the day progresses,” he said.

AR/NSA