Ahead of the 13th parliamentary elections, the office of the Cox’s Bazar district returning officer has identified 329 out of 598 polling centres across the district’s four constituencies as important or ‘risky’.
The remaining 269 centres have been categorised as general polling stations. In administrative terms, ‘important’ centres refer to those considered vulnerable, where additional precautionary measures and heightened deployment of law enforcement agencies have been instructed. General centres will have standard security arrangements.
According to information received from the district returning officer’s office on Thursday, Cox’s Bazar-1 (Chakaria–Pekua) constituency has a total of 180 polling centres, of which 93 have been marked as risky. In Chakaria upazila, 73 of 130 centres are considered vulnerable, while in Pekua upazila, 20 of 47 centres are at risk.
In Cox’s Bazar-2 (Maheshkhali–Kutubdia), 59 of the 124 polling centres have been identified as risky. Of these, 27 of 86 centres in Maheshkhali upazila and 32 of 38 centres in Kutubdia upazila have been identified as vulnerable.
Cox’s Bazar-3 constituency, comprising Cox’s Bazar Sadar, Ramu, and Eidgaon upazilas, has 182 polling centres in total, with 109 marked as risky. Among them, 50 of 82 centres in Cox’s Bazar Sadar, 35 of 64 centres in Ramu, and 24 of 36 centres in Eidgaon have been classified as vulnerable.
Meanwhile, in Cox’s Bazar-4 (Ukhiya–Teknaf), 68 out of 117 polling centres have been listed as risky. Of these, 40 of 56 centres in Ukhiya upazila and 28 of 61 centres in Teknaf upazila are classified as vulnerable.
Sources said the list of risky polling centres was prepared based on reports from relevant government agencies, after analysing several indicators, including the prevailing political situation, geographical location, population density, and the positions of contesting candidates.
Cox’s Bazar Life Report
Photo: AI Generated
