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Published : 07 Jan 2024, 06:55 AM
Voting in the 12th parliamentary election has ended amid sporadic incidents of violence and allegations of irregularities by some candidates.
Twenty-seven candidates boycotted the polls, among whom were three Jatiya Party candidates whowithdrew from the election due to 'vote rigging'.
The Election Commission also disqualified the Awami League's Mustafizur Rahman from the Chattogram-16 race for violating the electoral code of conduct. The incumbent MP allegedly threatened law enforcers during the vote.
Voting in seven of the 42,000 polling stations across 299 seats were also suspended due to irregularities.
The Election Commission recorded a voter turnout of 27.15 percent as of 3 pm.
The counting of ballots is now underway and the results will be declared by the presiding officer at each voting centre.
Returning officers will then announce the consolidated results from every constituency.
The Election Commission will later announce the election winners from each constituency.
Below is bdnews24.com's live blog from the start of voting at 8 am to the close of polls at 4 pm.
Voting will be held in 299 out of 300 seats
The number of voters in the 299 constituencies is over 119.32 million, including over 60.5 million male, nearly 58.74 million female and 848 transgender voters
Voting will be held from 8am to 4pm on Sunday
There will be more than 260,000 voting booths in over 42,000 polling stations
The voting will be held through ballot papers
Presiding officers will send the results to the returning officers after counting. Formal results will be announced from the Election Commission in Dhaka
Nearly 1,970 candidates include 1,532 nominated by 28 political parties and 437 independents. They also include a record number of 97 women
The Awami League has the highest number of 265 candidates while the Jatiya Party, the main opposition in parliament, has fielded 264 aspirants
Six candidates from the 14-Party Alliance are contesting the election with the Awami League’s Boat symbol
The BNP and its allies have boycotted the election
Around 30,000 observers and journalists will monitor the election
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the 12th national election in Bangladesh. With 299 seats up for grabs, we will bring you the latest updates as the balloting unfolds across the country.
Voting has opened in general elections across Bangladesh that have been billed as a crucial test for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, but are also seen as easy to predict and likely to deliver results good enough for her government and the Election Commission to be able to claim success.
Under the watchful eye of the West, millions of Bangladeshis are expected to go to the polls in what promises to be the most significant gauge of public opinion for Hasina, who is seeking an unprecedented fourth straight term in office -- fifth in total.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina cast her ballot as the first voter at the Dhaka City College polling station in the capital's Dhanmondi.
She was accompanied by her sister Sheikh Rehana and daughter Saima Wazed.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina says she is confident that her party will win the election.
"We will win. There's no doubt about it."
Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal has cast his vote at the Habibullah Bahar College voting centre in Dhaka's Shantinagar.
"Openness and transparency in the voting process must be ensured,” he said.
A group of international election observers visited the Habibullah Bahar College voting centre in Dhaka's Shantinagar. Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal cast his ballot in the station.
Voting is underway in 299 constituencies across the country without incident so far, according to the Election Commission.
“Balloting has started on time at the centres that had been facing trouble. No incidents have been reported anywhere. A good atmosphere is prevailing everywhere,” said EC Additional Secretary Ashok Kumar Debnath.
As polls opened across the country, voters braved the winter cold on a foggy Sunday morning to exercise their democratic right.
"I voted to fulfill my civic duty. I hope that the person I've voted for will help the country develop and serve the people diligently," said Sarwar Hossain, a businessman, after casting his vote at the Faridad High School in Dhaka's Shyampur.
Shilpi Akhtar, a first-time voter, expressed her excitement after casting her vote at the same polling station in the Dhaka-4 constituency. "I was able to cast my vote without a hitch. It felt great. I hope those who are elected dedicate themselves to the people's welfare.
Voting has been suspended at a polling station in the Narsingdi-4 constituency due to alleged irregularities.
Returning Officer Badiul Alam said balloting at the Ibrahimpur Government Primary School centre in Belabo Upazila was stopped shortly after 8 am on Sunday.
Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun is seeking re-election from the constituency with the Awami League's ticket. His main rival for the seat is Saiful Islam Khan Biru, a member of the Narsingdi District Awami League advisory committee, who is running as an independent.
Witnesses said that shortly before the polls opened, Humayun's son Manjurul Majid Mahmud Sadi, entered the voting centre and forcefully stamped the Awami League's electoral symbol, the 'boat', on 12 ballot books.
The assistant presiding officer of a polling station in Bhola's Lalmohan Upazila has died after falling ill while on duty.
Md Touhidul Islam, Lalmohan Upazila executive officer (UNO), said the official, Mostafizur Rahman, passed away at the Charbhuta Bauria polling station in Bhola-3 around midnight on Saturday.
The bombs exploded around 10 am on Sunday in an alley near the Khilkhet Onneshon School polling centre, said Deputy Commissioner Rifat Rahman of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police Gulshan Division.
However, the explosions did not disrupt the voting process at the centre, he added.
Police are working to apprehending the culprits, he said.
Shakib Al Hasan, the Awami League candidate for the Magura-1 constituency, has cast his vote in the ongoing general election. The cricket icon was accompanied by his family at the Dari Magura Government Primary School centre in the municipality.
"I am very optimistic about winning the election. I believe voters will support me in this election. Once elected, my focus will be on working with the people of Magura for the next five years. With the people's support, I am confident we can go a long way," he said.
Supporters of the BNP have reportedly clashed with the police in Chattogram.
The clash erupted around 9:30 am in the port city's Chandgaon area.
“A group of assailants blocked the road in front of Sharaftullah Petrol Pump and began setting fires. When the police intervened, the assailants hurled brickbats at them," said Pankaj Dutta, deputy commissioner of Chattogram Metropolitan Police.
A man has been hacked to death outside a polling station in the Munshiganj-3 constituency.
The victim, 45-year-old Zillur Rahman, was a supporter of the Awami League candidate Mrinal Kanti Das.
The incident occurred at the Tengar Shahi Masjid intersection in Mirkadim around 9:30 am.
Witnesses said Zillur had an altercation with supporters of independent candidate Mohammad Faisal Biplob, leading to the fatal attack.
Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader says the BNP's calls for a boycott of the election have backfired as people are turning out in numbers to choose their representatives in parliament.
After casting his vote in Noakhali's Companiganj, Quader highlighted the "peaceful and festive" atmosphere in the constituency on election day. "The spontaneous turnout of voters proves that they have boycotted those who urged them to abstain from voting."
General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed, chief of the Bangladesh Army, said military personnel are carrying out their duties "professionally" and "impartially" across the country to ensure a peaceful election.
"Wherever I've gone and from whatever I've read in the media, voting is taking place peacefully in almost every centre," he said after casting his vote.
Trinamool BNP leader Shamsher Mobin Chowdhury, an election candidate in Sylhet-6, expressed satisfaction with the positive response from voters in the national election.
Shamsher said he is optimistic about a "free, fair, and credible election" after casting his vote on Sunday. "People could not vote freely in the last two elections due to various reasons. Now they are looking forward to voting.”
Although the newly formed Trinamool BNP, a breakaway offshoot of the BNP, did not get a lot of time to prepare for the election, Shamsher is confident of a successful outcome.
Jatiya Party candidate Salma Islam has alleged that her polling agents were barred from voting centres in the Dhaka-1 constituency during the election.
Awami League leader Salman F Rahman, her rival for the seat, dismissed Salma's allegations, and said she was making "fake" claims as a pretext for her to withdraw from the race later in the day.
The Election Commission has ordered the arrest of Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun's son on charges of electoral fraud in Narsingdi.
Voting at the Ibrahimpur Government Primary School centre in Belabo Upazila was suspended shortly after 8 am on Sunday.
Humayun is seeking re-election from Narsingdi-4 with the Awami League's ticket. His main rival for the seat is Saiful Islam Khan Biru, a member of the Narsingdi District Awami League advisory committee, who is running as an independent.
Witnesses said that shortly before the polls opened, Humayun's son Manjurul Majid Mahmud Sadi entered the voting centre and forcefully stamped the Awami League's electoral symbol, the 'boat', on 12 ballot books.
The first four hours of voting in the 12th parliamentary election saw a voter turnout of 18.50 percent, according to Election Commission Secretary Jahangir Alam.
Voting has also been cancelled at three centres -- one in Narsingdi and two in Narayanganj. Polling at five centres had been suspended but has now resumed.
A member of the Ansar has been injured in a crude bomb blast, and a supporter of an independent candidate has been attacked at polling centres in Jashore.
The incidents occurred at the Shankarpur Secondary School in the Jashore-3 constituency at 7:15 am on Sunday and at the Jashore-5 polling centre at Krishnabati Secondary School in Monirampur’s Helanchi around 9:30 am.
Ansar member Maruf Hossain, 19, was admitted to the Jashore Police Lines Hospital, and Mashiur Rahman, 45, was admitted to Jashore General Hospital.
“A crude bomb thrown at the second-storey balcony detonated near the railing,” said Shankarpur Secondary School centre Presiding Officer Abdur Rahim. “Maruf Hossain, an Ansar on duty at the centre was injured.”
“He was initially taken to Jashore General Hospital and then transferred to the Jashore Police Lines hospital for advanced treatment.”
Jashore-5 independent candidate Yakub Ali said, “Criminals attacked my supporter Mashiur Rahman at the Krishnabati Secondary School centre, hacking at him and injuring him with sharp weapons. He was rescued in a bloody state and admitted to Jashore General Hospital.”
Voters are facing difficulties accessing election information on voting day using the Election Commission app developed at a cost of Tk 210 million.
The app called ‘Smart Election Management’ was supposed to provide information on polling centres, percentage of votes, and other election-related information. But it failed to provide instant information once the voting began on Sunday.
It takes an hour to receive the required information after submitting the NID and date of birth in the app system. In some cases, the app doesn’t work at all. This may lead to serious trouble for both voters and the election observers.
Two people have been injured after a clash between supporters of the Awami League candidate and an independent candidate at a polling centre in Jamalpur’s Sharishabari.
Police were able to bring the situation under control and voting resumed as normal afterwards.
Ashraful Alam Liton, an independent candidate for the Jashore-1 seat, has pulled out of the election race due to 'irregularities' by his opponent.
Liton, joint general secretary of Jashore Awami League, accused his rival from the ruling party, MP Sheikh Afil Uddin Liton, of violence and vote rigging.
Jahangir Sikdar Loton, the Jatiya Party candidate for Narayanganj-2 constituency has boycotted the election following a clash that erupted over alleged electoral fraud at a polling station.
Authorities suspended polling at the Ramchandradi Government Primary High School centre in Araihazar Upazila after Loton's vandalised ballot boxes, said Returning Officer Mohammad Mahmudul Haque.
Loton alleged that supporters of Awami League candidate MP Nazrul Islam Babu and independent candidate Shariful were collaborating to stamp ballots for the 'boat', the election symbol for the ruling party.
When Jatiya Party supporters went to the scene to protest, police intervened and at one point, charged at them with batons and fired rubber bullets, Loton said.
Police arrested 13 suspects, including Loton's brother, over the incident.
The Election Commission says the fatal stabbing of an Awami League supporter in Munshiganj was not linked to the election.
Zillur Rahman, a supporter of Awami League candidate Mrinal Kanti Das in Munshiganj-3, was killed near a polling station in Mirkadim on Sunday morning.
Election Commissioner Jahangir Alam said Zillur was wanted in a murder case and authorities are investigating the incident to determine the motive behind his killing.
The turnout for the 12th national parliamentary election has only been 27.15 percent as of 3 pm, according to Election Commission Secretary Md Jahangir Alam.
Voting has been suspended at seven polling centres over irregularities, he said.
The turnout was 25 percent in the Dhaka Division, 27 percent in Chattogram, 32 percent in Khulna, 22 percent in Sylhet, 29 percent in Mymensingh, 26 percent in Rajshahi, 26 percent in Rangpur, and 31 percent in Barishal, the EC secretary said.
Voting in the 12th parliamentary election has come to a close. Those who are standing in line at polling stations can still cast their ballots.
