In Tongi, most polling stations lack representatives from half of the candidates.

Despite voting commencing over an hour and a half ago, the majority of polling stations in Tongi are operating without agents representing half of the candidates. While a few voters are present outside the centres, queues remain sparse.

At the Shahid Ahsan Ullah Master General Hospital polling station in Tongi, journalists observed the situation first-hand on Thursday (12 February) at 9:00 am.

A site survey revealed that the station has a total of 5,178 registered voters, including 3,127 men, 2,050 women, and a single voter identifying as third gender. Although voting officially began at 7:30 am, no voters were seen queuing by 9:00 am. Nonetheless, some voters were scattered around the premises, waiting to cast their ballots.

Inside the polling station, separate rooms were allocated to different candidates. Agents were present for candidates symbolised by the paddy sheaf, water lily bud, hand fan, truck, and fish. Despite there being twelve candidates in this constituency, some rooms had agents representing only four candidates, while others had six. Notably, many agents did not have their candidate placards on display. When asked, several admitted to leaving their identification cards at home.

The presiding officer of the Shahid Ahsan Ullah Master General Hospital polling station, Shawkat Hossain, told Jugantor that the agents who had arrived were performing their duties appropriately. He also confirmed that security arrangements at the centre were adequate. When asked about the voting statistics, he said counts would be conducted at two-hour intervals throughout the day.

Elsewhere in Tongi, including Ershad Nagar, Mudafa, and Arichpur polling stations, more than half of the candidates’ agents were absent, raising concerns over oversight and monitoring during the initial phase of voting.

Tongi Shahid Ahsan Ullah Master General Hospital Polling Station: Voter and Agent Overview

Observers note that the low turnout and partial absence of candidate agents could affect transparency in the early hours, although the situation may improve as the day progresses.