Voting in the 12th parliamentary election has ended, and the counting of ballots got underway, election officials said.

The results will be released gradually throughout the night, according to the Election Commission (EC).

The balloting began around 8 pm and continued until 4 pm, according to the election schedule.

Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal stated on Saturday that the polling time will be extended until all the voters at the polling stations finish casting their ballots.

A total of 28 registered political parties are in the election race while 16 other registered ones, including the main opposition BNP, boycotted the election demanding the general election to be held under an election-time neutral government after resignation of the AL government.

There are over 11.93 crore voters currently.

Voting took 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.

According to the EC, nearly 7,50,000 police, paramilitary, and police auxiliaries are on duty on the polling day. 

As many as 128 foreign observers are tracking the election process to assess its fairness, while 59 journalists from abroad have been accredited.

BDST: 1635 HRS, JAN 07, 2024
MN/SMS