Dhaka: Bangaldesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday exuded confidence saying her party will sweep the polls and urged the people to vote for "boat", her party's election symbol. “We will win the election, no doubt about it,” told the ruling Awami League President as she cast her vote at the Dhaka City College centre, a few miutes after the polling opened. She also urged the citizens to go to the polling stations and exercise the franchise.
The Sunday polls are taking place amid a 48-hour hartal by the main Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and like-minded parties which started on Saturday and will continue till Sunday.
When asked about the hartal, Hasina said that their strike has lost momemntum, adding that a conducive environment has been established in the country.
“A conducive environment has been established. Your vote is very valuable. We fought a lot for the right to vote and I hope that all the people of the country will come to vote at the polling centres," said PM Hasina who is poised to win a straight fourth term. "Bangladesh will continue its democratic trend," she said.
BNP Is A 'Terrorist Organisation'
Speaking further on the boycott call by BNP, PM Hasina said the Opposition party "never believed in elections."
"BNP was founded by a military dictator who illegally seized power in violation of the constitution, so they are vote riggers. Stealing and taking away the votes of the people - this is their character,” she said. As BNP is not getting the opportunity to rig votes, they are not participating in the election, she added.
She blamed the BNP-Jamaat alliance for the pre-poll violence saying the clique has "carried out arson attacks and other destructive activities.”
“People will vote as they wish. And we were able to create that voting environment. Although the BNP-Jamaat alliance has caused many incidents including arson attacks,” she said.
“They think that is their politics. And for doing this, the people of the country rejected them. This is the fact,” she added.
Responding to a question by foreign media on how acceptable the election will be amid the boycott, Hasina said her responsibility is towards the people of the country.
“Whether people accept this election or not is important to me. So I don't care about their (foreign media) acceptance. No matter what did the terrorist party say," said the Awami League chief.
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However, thin voter turnout was observed in the first two hours of the voting with zero footfall at some polling stations. A total of 119.6 million registered voters are eligible to vote for Sunday's polls at over 42,000 polling stations across the country, according to the country's Election Commission.
A polling station in Dhaka recorded only 175 votes while no votes were cast at two centres within the first hour of voting, as per the Daily Star.
A father and son duo reached a polling station in Rajshahi, 12 minutes after the polling began after which the centre saw no voters for the next half an hour.
Voting was cancelled at a polling station in Narsingdi, shortly after the polling began nationwide, over allegations of ballot stuffing, as per the local media.
According to Narsingdi Returning Officer Badiul Alam, the voting at Ibrahimpur Government Primary School in Sallabad Union of Belabo upazila was cancelled at 8:40 am, following allegations of ballot stuffing, according to the Daily Star.
A clash was also reported between the police and the members of the BNP in Chattogram City's Chandgaon area.
"A group of BNP men were staging demonstrations by blocking the road with burning tyres. They attacked on-duty police personnel when the latter tried to free the road," Additional Deputy Commissioner Pankaj Dutta of Chattogram Metropolitan Police (North Division) told The Daily Star.
"They threw stones at police, who retaliated with bullets from shotguns," he said.