Vote counting underway

The counting of votes in Bangladesh’s 11^th General Elections is underway.

The voting started at 8am and ended at 4pm on Sunday to elect 299 members of parliament out of 300.

At least 16 people were killed in poll-related violence across the country.

Voters were seen in the queue at polling centres in the morning ignoring the winter’s cold to cast their votes.

For the first time, the EC took votes using Electronic Voting Machine (EVM) at all polling booths in six constituencies - Dhaka-6 and 13, Chattogram-9, Rangpur-3, Khulna-2 and Satkhira-2.

Voters expressed satisfaction after casting their votes through EVM.

Some 45 candidates boycotted casting votes alleging vote rigging.

Oikyafront top leader Dr Kamal Hossain said that they found no information from any vote centres where the poll was held freely and fairly.

Oikyafront spokesman and BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir raised allegations of vote rigging.

Denying Oikyafront’s allegation, Awami League claimed that the voting was held fairly and freely across the country except some isolated incidents of violence.

Three hours after starting the voting, Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda said the polling is being held peacefully, fairly without some stray incidents of violence.

In compliance with new electoral rules, a total of 39 registered political parties contested the polls.

About 608,000 members of law enforcement agencies, 66 returning officers, are performing their responsibilities to conduct the election across the country.

A total of 4,0183 presiding officers, 20, 7,312 assistant presiding officers and 4,14,624 polling officers were appointed for conducting the election while about 1,328 executive magistrates were deployed and 640 judicial magistrates were assigned to work in 122 electoral inquiry committees during the polls.

MHK