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Bangladesh all set for polls

DHAKA: Bangladesh goes to the polls on Monday after seven years to elect its ninth Parliament ending two years of the state of Emergency. Over six lakh security personnel, including about 50,000 troops, have been pressed into service across the country for the crucial general election which will be closely monitored by both national and international observers.

The election was earlier scheduled in January last year, but was postponed following the resignation of the first caretaker government and installation of a second one backed by the defence forces at the height of a serious political crisis.

The election was planned by the Khaleda Zia-led four-party alliance ignoring almost a national consensus against it.

The polling will be held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. without break in over 35,000 polling centres. Under a new voters roll, Bangladesh has over eight crore voters half of them being women.

This is for the first time a national election is being held with photo ID cards. The ballot boxes will be transparent. While 1,555 candidates from 38 political parties are in the fray, the main contest is between the two major electoral alliances — Sheikh Hasina-led grand alliance and Begum Khaleda Zia-led four-party alliance.

Chief Election Commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda, in a televised address, assured a peaceful, free, fair and credible election.

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