Bangladesh Polls Live: Heavy Security Outside EC Office In Dhaka As Vote Counting Underway
Bangladesh Polls Live: Please follow this space for all the latest news and updates from Bangladesh as it goes for general election on Sunday.
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Bangladesh Polls Live: Please follow this space for all the latest news and updates from Bangladesh as it goes for general elections on Sunday. The polling for the 300-member Bangladeshi Parliament started on Sunday amid pre poll violence and boycott calls by main oppositon Bangladesh Nationalist Party and around 13 other like-minded parties. The BNP began a 48-hour nationwide strike on Saturday against the "illegal government" amidst sporadic violence.
According to country's Election Commission, a total of 119.6 million registered voters are eligible to vote at Sunday's polls at over 42,000 polling stations across the country.
As many as 1,970 candidates are in the fray including 90 women and 79 candidates from religious and ethnic minorities. Apart from 28 political parties that are contesting the polls, record 747 independent candidates have filed their nomination with majority of them belonging to the ruling Awami League.
The polls, being held in tight security, will have over 100 observers, including three from India.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ruling Awami League is expected to win for a straight fourth time as the main Opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of former premier Khaleda Zia, 78, who is under house arrest as a convict of graft charges, boycotted the polls.
The Sunday polls have also been called as contest between ruling Awami League candidates and Awami League independents as out of the total 1,970 candidates in the fray, 747 Independents have filed their nomination with majority of them being from AL.
Incidents of sporadic pre-poll violence marred the country as a passenger train was set ablaze by miscreants on Friday, killing four people and several polling station across the country were also torched, though no casulaties were reported from those attacks.
In a nationally televised address ahead of the polls this week, PM Hasina urged the pro-democratic and law-abiding parties not to fuel ideas that “disrupt" the country's constitutional process.
Bangladesh PM Hasina Re-Elected To Parliament From Gopalganj-3 Constituency
Bangladesh Prime Minister and Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina was re-elected to parliament on Sunday from the Gopalganj-3 constituency after a landslide victory in the general elections marred by sporadic violence and a boycott by the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party
Bangladesh Polls Live: Heavy security outside EC Office in Dhaka as vote counting underway
Visuals of heavy security deployment outside Bangladesh Election Commission in Dhaka as counting of votes is underway for the general elections held earlier today, PTI reported.
Visuals of heavy security deployment outside Bangladesh Election Commission in Dhaka as counting of votes is underway for the general elections held earlier today. pic.twitter.com/MZZmw6HoE7
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 7, 2024
40% Voter Turnout Decent Amid Oppn Boycott: Awami League Secretary Barrister Biplab Barua
“The 40 per cent voter turnout is a decent one considering the fact that one of the leading oppositions boycotted the election and created anarchy. We have to look at the quality of the election. If the election was free and fair, the voting percentage doesn’t matter,” Awami League Secretary Barrister Biplab Barua told PTI.
VIDEO | “The 40 per cent voter turnout is a decent one considering the fact that one of the leading oppositions boycotted the election and created anarchy. We have to look at the quality of the election. If the election was free and fair, the voting percentage doesn’t matter,”… pic.twitter.com/suiaCu6LBR
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 7, 2024
Bangladesh Reports 40% Voter Turnout: Election Commission
As per Bangladesh Election Commission, the country reported a voter turnout of 40%.
Bangladesh Polls Live: Overall voter turnout at 40%
Bangladeshis on Sunday turned up in low numbers to cast their votes for the general elections likely to be won by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for a fourth straight term, amid sporadic violence and a boycott by the main opposition party BNP and its allies.According to the initial estimates, the voter turnout was around 40 per cent but the figure could change after the final count, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal said. (PTI)
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