Voting in the national election and the referendum is underway largely in a peaceful manner across Bangladesh, with the first two hours passing without reports of any major untoward incidents.
The voting that began at 7:30am will continue until 4:30pm without any break at 42,659 polling stations in 299 out of 300 constituencies across the country amid the presence of nearly one million security personnel and another one million polling staff.
The election is being held around one and a half years after the fall of the Awami League government during the July-August mass uprising in 2024 as voters are seeking to establish an elected government.
Alongside the parliamentary polls, voters are also casting their ballots for a referendum to express their views, through ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ votes, on proposals for several amendments to the Constitution.
In the capital, voters started arriving at polling centres from early morning.
As the day progressed, the presence of voters steadily increased outside the centres.
An atmosphere of festivity was observed among voters who turned out to cast their ballots.
Voting in underway in the first couple of hours amid festive mood but some reported slow voting process in some centers.
