Dhaka, Feb. 19 -- Claiming that the upcoming upazila election will be a competitive one, Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda on Tuesday directed returning officers to be alert to prevent the loss of lives over the polls.

"Many lives were lost in many cases during elections held in the past. There're huge casualties. Returning officers will have to oversee it (violence) carefully so that the lives are not lost over the polls," he said.

The CEC issued the directives while addressing a briefing arranged for the returning officers and assistant returning officers of the third-phase upazila parishad election, held at the Nirbachan Bhaban in the city.

He asked the returning officers to try to dispose of any possible conflict even with ...