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Few voters could be seen at polling stations around Dhaka in the first two hours after the start of the 10th parliament elections on Sunday.
Published : 05 Jan 2014, 10:18 AM
bdnews24.com correspondents went round polling centres at Mirpur, Old Dhaka, Jatrabari, Shyampur and Chakbazar and found the usual poll-day queues missing.
Polling officials, however, say the turnout could increase as the day passes.
At Agradoot Bidya Niketan polling centre in Dhaka-5 parliament constituency, 3,085 voters are listed -- but until 10am only 282 of them had exercised their franchise.
Only about 100 votes have been cast in two centres of the same constituency at Dania Agriculture School until 10am., said Presiding Officers Liton Kumar Sarker and Mohammed Abdus Sobhan..
One of these centres have 1,871 voters, the other centre has 2,627.
No party other than the ruling Awami League seems to have fielded polling agents in these centres.
No queues could be found in any of the three centres at Nawab Habibullah Model School and College at Uttara.
Presiding officer of the Polling Centre-157 Lutfur Rahman said that not even ten voters have cast their ballot until 9am, an hour after voting started.
Presiding officer Mohsin Mia told bdnews24.com that polling has been in single digits in the six booths in his centre in the first hour of voting.
Another presiding officer Rafiqul Islam felt the poor early turnout was due to the morning cold.
"We opened our centre for voting at 8am sharp. We have not counted but voters have exercised their franchise in all booths. The cold may be keeping them away early on," he said.
There are more than 2,000 voters in each of the centres Islam is presiding over.
Voter Haji Mostaque Mia was unambiguous as he approached his booth at Nawab Habibullah Model School and College.
"I am a citizen of Bangladesh and voting is my birthright. People may have different choices but everyone should vote to express their choice".
But he was less than optimistic about the turnout.
"I dont think more than ten percent voters will exercise their franchise this time," Mostaque told bdnews24.com
153 constituencies in the 300-member parliament have already returned winners without a contest -- something that may be influencing the poor turnout, with the outcome of the polls not in doubt.
The poll boycott and the violence unleashed by the Opposition to disrupt the polls they describe as 'one-sided and farcical' has also led to panic that could impact the turnout.
127 of the winners without a contest belong to the ruling Awami League -- so that party needs only 24 seats to win a majority from the remaining 147 seats where polling started on Sunday.
