Online Desk : The first phase of the sixth upazila parishad election will be held in 139 upazilas of 59 districts in the country on Wednesday.

Voting will start from 8:00am and continue up to 4:00pm without any recess, reports BSS.

Some 1,635 candidates, including nearly 570 chairman contenders are in the electoral race in the 139 upazila parishads against a total of 417 posts –-chairman post, vice chairman and women vice chairman posts in each upazila.

More than 2.80 crore people would have voting rights in the upazilas, according to the data of the Election Commission.

Besides, 17 law enforcement personnel will be deployed in each general centre while 18-19 personnel in the important centre to maintain the environment during polling. Apart from this, 19 law enforcement officers will be deployed in general centres and 20/21 law enforcement personnel in important centres in special areas (hilly or remote areas), as per the decision of the Election Commission (EC).

Depending on the number of voters and the importance of the polling stations, two to four platoons of BGB will perform duty in each upazila. The Coast Guard will act as a mobile and striking force in the islands of the coastal area.

A ban has been imposed on the movement of taxicabs, micro-buses, pickups, trucks, launches, engine-driven boats (except those plying on specific routes) in the respective constituencies from 12pm on Tuesday to till 12pm on Wednesday.

The existing ban on motorcycle movement will remain in force till Thursday midnight.

The public security department of the Ministry of Home Affairs has issued instructions to the license holders not to travel with weapons or to carry and display them seven days before the polling and seven days after the polling.

In the first phase, 31,468,102 voters will exercise their voting rights in 81,804 polling booths of 11,556 centres.

On March 21, the Election Commission announced the election schedule for 152 upazila parishads in the first phase.

But all the candidates in five upazilas – Hatia in Noakhali, Munshiganj Sadar, Bagerhat Sadar, Parshuram in Feni and Shibchar in Madaripur– have already been elected unopposed and so polling is not needed in those areas.

Besides, the elections to eight other upazilas were postponed on different grounds. The eight upazilas are Narayanganj Sadar, Kumarkhali in Kushtia, Thanchi and Rowangchhari in Bandarban, Gopalpur in Tangail, Mohadevpur in Naogaon, Nangalkot in Cumilla and Sarishabari in Jamalpur.

Apart from this, the EC has suspended voting in three upazilas in the hill district of Bandarban.

This time, the Election Commission is arranging the sixth Upazila Parishad election in four phases. The commission has already declared the election schedule to hold polls in some 480 upazilas out of the country`s 495 upazilas.

The second phase of the election will be held in some 160 upazilas on May 21, while the third phase at 110 upazilas on May 29 and 4th phase polls at more than 50 upazilas on June 5.