Bangladesh Poll Turnout Low As Hasina Eyes 4th Term Amid BNP Boycott, Violence Reported — Top Points

The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party called a general strike and urged the public not to participate in what it called a "sham" election.

Voters stand in a queue to cast their vote in the Bangladesh's general elections, at Camilla in Chittagong.

Source : PTI

New Delhi: Bangladesh recorded a low turnout as the country voted for the 12^th parliamentary elections on Sunday. According to the Election Commission, 40% of the voters cast their ballot, as compared to an overall turnout of 80% in the previous general elections in 2018.

Counting stared at 4pm soon after the voting process ended. The results are expected by early Monday.

Here are the key updates:

• According to an Election Commission official, voting was largely peaceful in 299 of the 300 constituencies, other than some sporadic incidents of violence.
• The Election Commission cancelled the candidature of an Awami League candidate in northeastern Chattogram for allegedly threatening a police officer. The polls in the constituency were thereafter contested by two rebel candidates who belong to the ruling party.
• The Commission suspended polling in a seat due to the death of a candidate.
• According to reports, voting was cancelled at three centres -- one in Narsingdi and two in Narayanganj. The Election Commission ordered the arrest of Industries Minister Nurul Majid Mahmud Humayun's son on charges of electoral fraud.
• Firing incidents were reported during a clash between supporters of two candidates in Chattogram-10 seat. Two persons were shot dead.
• Two people sustained injuries after a clash broke out between supporters of the Awami League candidate and an independent candidate at a polling centre in Jamalpur’s Sharishabari. In a separate poll violence incident, four persons, including a child, were injured after two crude bombs exploded near a voting booth in Dhaka's Hazaribagh.
• The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) called a general strike and urged the public not to participate in what it called a "sham" election. They alleged that no election under the current government could be “fair and credible”. “Most of the polling stations were almost empty of voters. So, our call for the election boycott is successful,” BNP leader Abdul Moyeen Khan
• The usual election-day fervour was absent as even in front of the booths, there wasn’t any long queue, except the ruling party-backed supporters and election agents.
• Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is eyeing a fourth term in office, said she does not care about foreign media’s “approval” of the parliamentary elections as she is only concerned with her acceptance to the people of the country.
• PM Hasina cast her vote at Dhaka City College polling booth soon after the voting started. She was accompanied by her daughter Saima Wazed.
• Calling the elections a victory of democracy and people of the country, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said that voters had boycotted the BNP for rejecting the election. “The BNP did not participate in the election but they wanted to foil it. The BNP carried out arson attacks to thwart the constitutional process, but the people have boycotted them,” he said.

(With agency inputs)