Election
Election 2024: 18.5% votes cast in 4 hours, says EC secretary
Election Commission Secretary Jahangir Alam on Sunday said 18.5% votes were cast during the first four hours of voting.
He shared this information at a press conference held at the Agargaon Election Commission (EC) building.
Menwhile, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal said he is not thinking about voter turnout and his job is to arrange the elections.
Election 2024: Voting underway amid low turnout, 1 death reported in Munshiganj
“I know nothing whether the voter turnout is low or high. I don’t think about the voter turnout. My job is to arrange the elections,” said Awal while talking to journalists after casting his vote at Habibullah Bahar College Centre in Dhaka.
Voting for the 12th National Parliamentary Election is underway since 8 am with reports of low voter turnout and sporadic violence.
Ballot boxes stuffed at night even in lopsided polls: Rizvi
UNB correspondents from Dhaka and across the country including Dinajpur, Chattogram, Bhola, Chapainawabganj, and Khulna have reported lower voter turnout than expected.
One was killed amidst reports of sporadic violence across the country.
2 candidates boycott polls over alleged irregularities in M’singh; presiding officer among 3 detained
Sheikh Rehana casts her vote at Gulshan Model High School centre
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s daughter and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s younger sister Sheikh Rehana has cast her vote at Gulshan Model High School and College centre under Dhaka-17 constituency.
She went to the polling centre around 12:45 pm today and cast her vote.
Read: ‘Ecstatic that PM Sheikh Hasina came to vote for me alongside her daughter’: Ferdous
Her son Radwan Mujib Siddiq and Awami League-nominated candidate for Dhaka-17 constituency, Mohammad Ali Arafat, were with her at the time.
‘Will reveal plans about development of Narail if I win the election’, says Mashrafe
Former cricketer and Narail-2 Awami League candidate for the 12th Parliamentary Election Mashrafe Bin Mortaza on Sunday he will disclose his plans for the development of Narail if he wins the national election.
Read: Election 2024: Voting underway amid low turnout, 1 death reported in Munshiganj
“Voting has been going well since morning. Women have come to vote, including elderly voters, even in the winter,” Mashrafe told reporters after casting his vote at Narail Technical School and College centre at 10:50 am.
Seven candidates, including Mashrafe are contesting the polls from Narail-2 constituency. The number of voters here is 365,729. Of these, 183,739 voters are female and 181,990 are male.
Election 2024: ‘I don’t think about voter turnout, my job is to arrange elections’, says CEC
Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal on Sunday said he is not thinking about voter turnout and his job is to arrange the elections.“I know nothing whether the voter turnout is low or high. I don’t think about the voter turnout. My job is to arrange the elections,” said Awal while talking to journalists after casting his vote at Habibullah Bahar College Centre in Dhaka.
He stressed the need for making the transparency visible in order to remove no-confidence among people regarding the voting, if any.“I would like to request you just to make the vote visible and raise its transparency as much as possible,” he said pointing at the journalists.The CEC expected that if any, no-confidence among people about the voting would reduce gradually by making the vote visible and raising its transparency.He, however, declined to predict about the voter turnout. About the vote casting, the CEC said he is happy as the balloting started.
Election 2024: Voter turnout relatively higher in rural areas compared to Dhaka, says Foreign Secretary
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen has said voter turnout is relatively higher in rural areas compared to Dhaka, and expressed optimism over healthy turnout of voters as the day progresses.
“I couldn't cast my vote for many years as I was abroad. My father used to come with my mother. As my father passed away few years back, I came here to cast my vote with my mother,” he told reporters after casting his vote at the Teachers Training Centre under Dhaka-10 constituency.
Also read: People boycotting those who boycotted election: Obaidul Quader
Responding to a question, the Foreign Secretary said foreign observers are monitoring the polls since this morning and they are willing to share their impressions after voting is completed.
Over 127 foreign observers are monitoring the polls apart from journalists from overseas.
"So far, the environment is peaceful," he added.
The Election Commission is confident about holding the election through a transparent process, the Foreign Secretary said.
Turnout is a key factor but it needs to be seen whether the entire process was transparent and smooth, he said.
Asked about Western countries’ impression over the possible low voter turnout, the Foreign Secretary said it is for them to consider.
"If there is healthy turnout, it will go in favor of the election and its credibility," he said.
Also read: Knowing they will lose, BNP didn’t participate in the election: Home Minister
The Foreign Secretary also said the foreigners who interacted with him personally expressed their concerns over the deaths of people in arson attacks on trains.
The foreign observers and some of the diplomats are monitoring the polls. They will talk to the media after 5 pm today.
Also read: Momen urges all to cast their votes, calls BNP’s hartal ‘pretentious’
Momen urges all to cast their votes, calls BNP’s hartal ‘pretentious’
Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen has urged voters to go to polling centres to cast their votes.
The foreign minister made the call while talking to reporters after casting his vote at 10 am today.
When questioned about the lower-than-expected voter turnout, the foreign minister suggested that the ongoing holidays might be contributing to the low turnout.
Momen described BNP's ongoing hartal as “pretentious” and expressed satisfaction over the election environment.
“The country is experiencing a positive environment without any coercion. It's important to maintain the democratic process. Voting for us (Awami League) is in the people's best interest,” said the foreign minister.
People boycotting those who boycotted election: Obaidul Quader
People are boycotting those who boycotted the 12th National Parliamentary Election, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said today.
“People are casting their votes spontaneously which proves the defeat of BNP and like-minded parties. This proves that voters have boycotted them,” he said while talking to reporters after casting his vote at Udayan Pre-Cadet Academy Centre at Basurhat municipality in Noakhali around 10:15 am.
Knowing they will lose, BNP didn’t participate in the election: Home Minister
President of Basurhat upazila unit of Awami League and Basurhat municipality mayor Abdul Quader Mirza, and leaders and activists of Awami League were present there.
Quiet Dhaka streets on Election Day amid tight security and transport restrictions
‘Ecstatic that PM Sheikh Hasina came to vote for me alongside her daughter’: Ferdous
Dhallywood actor and Awami League candidate for Dhaka-10, Ferdous Ahmed, cast his vote during the ongoing 12th National Parliament Election this morning.
Ferdous voted at the Bhashantek Government Primary School polling centre in the capital at 10 am.
He arrived at the centre with his wife Tania Ferdous and their two daughters, Nuzhat and Namira.
Earlier, Ferdous accompanied Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her younger sister Sheikh Rehana, daughter Saima Wazed and Sheikh Rehana's son Radwan Mujib Siddiq at the Dhaka City College centre which falls under Dhaka-10 constituency (comprising Dhanmondi, Hazaribagh, New Market and Kalabagan).
The PM came to the polling centre before 7:55 am amid tight security and voted there.
Expressing excitement over welcoming the PM who cast her vote in the constituency, Ferdous told the media that he was overwhelmed with the beginning of the election.
“On this wonderful morning, I am ecstatic that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina came to vote for me alongside her daughter Saima Wazed. I promise to make the Dhaka-10 constituency a ‘10-on-10’, and I already got 2 out of 10 with their votes," Ferdous said at the centre.
After casting his own vote at the Bhashantek Government Primary School centre, Ferdous exchanged greetings with the voters. “Every person in Bangladesh is eager to vote, and people from all walks of life will flock to the polls today. I believe we will win by a large margin,” the actor said.
Election 2024: AL candidate supporter stabbed dead in Munshiganj
A supporter of the Awami League candidate was stabbed to death allegedly by supporters of the independent candidate at Tengor in Mirkadim of Munshiganj’s Sadar upazila this meeting.
The deceased was identified as Md Zillur, 42, a supporter of Awami League-backed candidate Mrinal Kanti Das of Munshiganj-3 constituency.
Quoting witnesses, Aslam Khan, superintendent of Munshiganj Police, said supporters of independent candidate Foysal Biplab attacked Zillur and stabbed him with a sharp weapon around 9:45 am, leaving him dead.
On information, police rushed to the spot and brought the situation under control.
A tense situation was prevailing in the area following the attack.
Election 2024: BNP activists try to bar voters, clash with police in Ctg’s Chandgaon area
A clash broke out between police and BNP activists in the Chandgaon area of Chattogram city this morning after leaders and activists of the opposition party tried to bar voters from casting their votes.
The clash broke out around 9 am, an hour after voting for the 12th parliamentary election began.
Also read: Election 2024: Voting at Narsingdi-4 polling centre cancelled over alleged irregularities
However, there were no immediate reports of casualties.
Chandgaon Police Station Officer-in-Charge Jahidul Kabir said that BNP leaders and activists barred voters from casting their votes in Chandgaon area.
On information, police rushed to the spot and chased them. BNP leaders and activists then began hurling brickbats at the police.
Members of law enforcement agencies are currently working to maintain law and order in the area, said OC Jahidul.
Also read: 12th Parliamentary Election: Voting begins amid opposition boycott