Dhaka, May 21 -- As the sixth Upazila Parishad elections reach their largest and most critical phase today, the ruling Awami League and the Election Commission are grappling with the dual challenges of maintaining law and order while striving to significantly boost voter turnout.

Despite initial expressions of satisfaction, the Awami League remains uneasy over the low turnout in the first phase, prompting the party to relax its stringent stance on excluding relatives of ministers and MPs from the election process in a bid to galvanise voter participation in the upcoming rounds.

While there is some discomfort over the low turnout, Awami League leaders emphasise that the first phase was peaceful and fair. They note that, apart from a few ...