Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Voting in Bangladesh for the 13th Parliamentary Election and Constitutional Referendum concluded across 299 constituencies, with election authorities initiating the counting process shortly after polling hours ended, the Daily Star reported.
According to the Bangladesh Election Commission (EC), voting officially took place from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm (local time). However, officials clarified that individuals who had entered polling station premises before the close of voting were permitted to cast their ballots.
According to EC’s Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed, voter turnout across 36,031 polling stations stood at 47.91 per cent as of 2:00 pm (local time), Daily Star reported. However, a total of 42,651 polling centres were set up for the national election.
The elections come at a critical time in the country’s history, almost two years after the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was ousted following a student-led movement in July 2024.The 2024 July Uprising ended the Awami League’s regime, which has now been barred from participating in the current election.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Islamic conservative party, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, which is leading an alliance with the National Citizen Party (NCP), formed following the student-led uprising, along with other parties on a seat-sharing basis, are the main competitors in the elections. A total of 2034 candidates are contesting the polls, with 51 parties participating, according to the Daily Star. The contesting parties are the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Jamaat-e-Islami, National Citizen Party (NCP), Jatiya Party (JP-Quader), Jatiya Party (JP-Ershad), Left Democratic Alliance and Amar Bangladesh Party (AB Party).
