Supporters of the Awami League candidate distributed lunch boxes in many constituencies of Dhaka, observed these correspondents after visiting at least 10 polling centres under Dhaka-12 and Dhaka-13 constituencies.

Voting was held peacefully in six Khulna constituencies yesterday, marred only by a handful of isolated incidents.

To increase voter turnout, the ruling Awami League supporters arranged free rickshaw service for voters to visit their respective polling centres and return home yesterday.

Sporadic incidents of clashes took place between law enforcers and BNP men in the Chandgaon area of Chattogram city on election day yesterday, also the second day of the 48-hour nationwide hartal that BNP and its allies called to garner support for the non-cooperation movement and the boycott of the polls.

Most polling centres in Dinajpur wore a deserted look throughout the vote casting period during the national elections held yesterday.

There weren’t many voters around 10:00am at Gulshan Model School in Dhaka-17 constituency yesterday, but suddenly about 20 individuals got together and formed a queue in front of the polling centre when several TV cameras appeared to cover the polls situation.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal said yesterday that 40 percent of votes were cast in the 12th parliamentary election.

Youths playing cricket on deserted Dhaka streets, an elderly voter exercising her right to franchise, empty booths amid low voter turnout,

Sukanta Roy was 19 when he first got the chance to vote in 2014.

The Daily Star visits polling centres during the day of national election and captures moments from all over the country

Voting Across the country

The Election Commission yesterday cancelled the candidacy of Awami League nominee Mostafizur Rahman Chowdhury for Chattogram-16 (Banshkhali) during the last hours of voting.

OF SILENT STREETS, EMPTY BOOTHS AND SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITIES

Awami League President Sheikh Hasina’s strategy to make the election look competitive worked well, so much so that over a dozen heavyweights came tumbling down yesterday.

The final minutes of voting in Dhaka as seen by two journalists

Noor bagged 1,19,339 votes while his nearest rival independent candidate Joynal Abedin secured 15,684 votes

Speaker of the Jatiya Sangsad Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury has been elected unofficially from Rangpur 6 constituency.

The opposition leader of the parliament got 81,861 with plough symbol. His nearest rival independent candidate Anwara Islam Rani with eagle symbol got 23,326 votes

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi today congratulated the voters for boycotting the national elections

She bagged 2,49,965 votes in her constituency while her nearest rival M Nizam Uddin Lascar from Bangladesh Supreme Party secured 469 votes