Bagerhat: Some 18 Awami League-backed chairman candidates are going to be elected unopposed in seven upazilas of Bagerhat in the first-phase election in 739 Union Councils (UCs) across the country.

The returning officers concerned said the deadline for submission of nomination papers by chairman and member candidates to contest the first-phase election expired on Monday, reported UNB.

Only 18 Awami League chairman candidates submitted their nominations papers in as many union parishads till the last day.

They are-Nazina Begum Narjin of Sonaitala union in Mongla upazila, Talukdar Nazmul Kabir Jhilam of Mallikber union in Rampal upazila, Ashok Kumar Baral of Charbaniari union, Beauty Akter of Santoshpur, Masud Sardar of Borobaria, Shikdar Matiar Rahman of Kalatala, Kazi Azmir Ali of Hizla union in Chitalmari upazila, Shirina Akter of Sadar union in Fakirhat upazila, Mashiur Rahman of Aatjuri union, DSBMB Saiful of Kodalia union, Bablu Mollah of Kulia union, SK Haidar Mamun of Udoypur union in Mollahat upazila, Monoar Hossain Tagar of Bemorta union, Mony Mallick of Dema, Sheikh Shamser Ali of Gotapara, Abdul Matin of Jatrapur in Sadar uapzila and Abdur Razzak Majumdar of Panchakaran union in Morelganj upazila.

Meanwhile, district BNP president M Salam alleged that 34 BNP-backed chairman candidates in the seven upazilas could not submit their nomination papers in the face of threat from the ruling party Awami League.

Miscreants also snatched nomination papers of some BNP candidates while going to submit their nominations papers, he claimed.

Contacted, deputy commissioner of Bagerhat Jahangir Alam said they received no such allegations.

According to the district election office, a total of 217 chairman candidates submitted their nomination papers for the chairman posts in 74 unions of nine upazilas.

Besides, 2,781 member candidates submitted nomination papers.

The first-phase UP election is scheduled to be held on March 22.