Voting in Bangladesh’s 12th general election began across the country this morning (January 7) amid the urge from the ruling Awami League to enhance voters’ presence while the opposition political parties calls to boycott voting.
The voting began at 8:00am on Sunday and will continue until 4:00pm without any break.
Reports received from different corners of the country said that the voting began amid fear, voter intimidation, and violence, with the opposition parties, including the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, observing a 48-hour nationwide hartal that will end at 6:00am on Monday.
The Election Commission had earlier completed all preparations to hold the parliamentary elections today.
Chief election commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal, addressing the nation on television on Saturday, had urged the people of the country to exercise their voting rights without fear.
A total of 28 registered political parties are in the election race while 16 other registered ones, including the main opposition BNP, are boycotting the election demanding the general election to be held under an election-time neutral government after resignation of the AL government.
BNP and many other registered and unregistered political parties held large-scale street programmes, often with massive gatherings, demanding the restoration of the caretaker government system.
There are over 11.93 crore voters currently.
Voting will take place in 299 constituencies on Sunday, while the EC suspended polling at the Naogaon-2 seat after the death of independent candidate Aminul Haque on December 29.
According to the EC, a total of 1,969 candidates, including 436 independent candidates, are vying for the JS this time.
A total of 28 parties, among the 44 registered political parties, fielded candidates in the election.
The ruling AL is contesting in 266 seats, while the Jatiya Party is contesting at 265 seats.
At least 18 Jatiya Party candidates, however, quit the polls after the end of the official deadline, saying that there was no environment for polling at the moment.
At least 269 AL leaders are also contesting as either independent or dummy candidates. AL allowed party leaders to contest as independent or dummy candidates to avoid any of its official candidates being elected unopposed.
AL either withdrew or did not field candidates in 26 seats in favour of the Jatiya Party while sharing its electoral symbol boat with six candidates from its alliance partners.
Of them, Hasanul Haque Inu-led Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal got three seats, the Workers Party of Bangladesh got two seats, and the Jatiya Party-JP got one seat.
Some political parties labelled the King’s Party are contesting the polls with the blessing of the Awami League.
The BNP and other major parties are boycotting the polls, which stems from the government’s refusal to dissolve parliament and establish a poll-time caretaker administration to oversee the elections.
While picketing in support of their party’s 48-hour hartal that began at 6:00am on Saturday to protest against Sunday’s ‘dummy’ election, BNP senior joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi urged the people of the country to boycott the polls.
Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader, on the other hand, called upon the people on Saturday to go to polling centres without any fear, avoiding BNP’s ‘rumour and propaganda’.
According to the EC, nearly 7,50,000 police, paramilitary, and police auxiliaries are on duty on the polling day. Polling are being held at 42,024 polling stations.
As many as 128 foreign observers are tracking the election process to assess its fairness, while 59 journalists from abroad have been accredited.
BDST: 0819 HRS, JAN 07, 2024
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