Voting for the 10th general polls ended amid stray incidents of violence including clashes, arson attacks, bomb blasts, and vandalism across the country.
Meanwhile, allegation raised that miscreants snatched away ballots and cast votes for Boat in a polling centre of Fatikchhari upazila, Chittagong.
At least 13 people including an Ansar man were killed in eight distrcicts in separate clashes with law enforcers during voting on Sunday.
Of the deceased, an activist of the Islami Chhatra Shibir died in Chittagong, two BNP men died in Thakurgaon, two including an Ansar man was beaten to death in Dinajpur, two people including a Jubo Dal leader in Feni, an Islami Chhatra Shibir activist in Lakshmipur, two more Islami Chhatra Shibir supporters in Rangpur, two Jamaat-e-Islami men died in Nilphamari and one in Lalmonirhat.
The polling started at 8am on Sunday amid foolproof security in the country and continued till 4pm without any break.
The voting was held in 147 parliamentary constituencies out of 300 as the representatives of the rest 153 constituencies have been elected uncontested.
The much-talked-about 10th national election began amid the main opposition’s boycott and widespread arson attacks across the country.
The main opposition BNP-led 18-party alliance is boycotting the election as its demand for holding the polls under a non-partisan interim-government went in vain.
Out of 40 registered political parties, 12 parties are contesting the election.
To stop the polls, the opposition alliance has been observing non-stop blockade from January 1. Earlier, they observed fifth spells of blockade. And finally, urging the countrymen to boycott the polls, the alliance called 48-hour hartal programmes began on Saturday morning across the country to stop the election.
Voting at 138 polling centres in 13 districts has been postponed following attacks allegedly by anti-polls activists. Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad said elections would be held in the postponed centres by January 24.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad said elections would be held in the postponed centres by January 24. - See more at: http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/2014/jan/05/cec-polls-suspended-centres-jan-24#sthash.QldJ8nk4.dpufA total of 4,39,38938 voters out of the country’s 9,19,65,977 are exercising their franchises to choose the representatives of the 147 constituencies from 380 candidates.
