Voting was held peacefully in six Khulna constituencies yesterday, marred only by a handful of isolated incidents.

To increase voter turnout, the ruling Awami League supporters arranged free rickshaw service for voters to visit their respective polling centres and return home yesterday.

Sporadic incidents of clashes took place between law enforcers and BNP men in the Chandgaon area of Chattogram city on election day yesterday, also the second day of the 48-hour nationwide hartal that BNP and its allies called to garner support for the non-cooperation movement and the boycott of the polls.

Most polling centres in Dinajpur wore a deserted look throughout the vote casting period during the national elections held yesterday.

There weren’t many voters around 10:00am at Gulshan Model School in Dhaka-17 constituency yesterday, but suddenly about 20 individuals got together and formed a queue in front of the polling centre when several TV cameras appeared to cover the polls situation.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal said yesterday that 40 percent of votes were cast in the 12th parliamentary election.

Youths playing cricket on deserted Dhaka streets, an elderly voter exercising her right to franchise, empty booths amid low voter turnout,

Sukanta Roy was 19 when he first got the chance to vote in 2014.

The Daily Star visits polling centres during the day of national election and captures moments from all over the country

Voting Across the country

The Election Commission yesterday cancelled the candidacy of Awami League nominee Mostafizur Rahman Chowdhury for Chattogram-16 (Banshkhali) during the last hours of voting.

OF SILENT STREETS, EMPTY BOOTHS AND SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITIES

Awami League President Sheikh Hasina’s strategy to make the election look competitive worked well, so much so that over a dozen heavyweights came tumbling down yesterday.

The election “without opposition” in Bangladesh has seen a low voter turnout but guarantees a fifth term for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, reported several international media today. 

Three persons were injured as supporters of Awami League and independent candidates for Chattogram-14 clashed over taking control of a polling centre in the district’s Chandanaish upazila yesterday.

AK Azad, an Awami League leader who ran as an independent, had to fight against all odds to win yesterday’s parliamentary polls from Faridpur-3.

A section of the foreign observers yesterday said the polls were by and large held in a free and fair manner, but lamented the boycott of the major opposition BNP and the incidents of electoral violence.

Nurul Islam, a voter in Gazipur-2 constituency, came to Kalmeshwor Government Primary School to cast his vote around 10:45am yesterday, but he found out that it was not his designated centre.

This election was very difficult for the people to comprehend, said election observer Sharmeen Murshid.

Prime Minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina directed party leaders and activists not to bring out any victory processions after the declaration of election results.