The ruling Awami League has claimed that the union parishad election was held in a free, spontaneous, and transparent manner while its political opponent BNP termed the polls “farcical under a partisan Election Commission”.

Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad yesterday claimed that the first phase of the union parishad polls was “acceptable” as voting was “peaceful” in most of the polling centres.

The first phase of the Union Parishad (UP) elections begins, marking the start of the country's maiden UP-level polls on partisan lines. Two people are injured in Satkhira and voting remains suspended in 11 polling centres in Satkhira, Barisal and Patuakhali so far.

Over 700 unions will go to polls today against the backdrop of the deadly violence during electioneering in the last couple of weeks.

Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad says the Election Commission does not get the level of cooperation it desires from the local administration in arranging elections, causing polls violence and irregularities.

The Election Commission has deployed paramilitary force Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) for union parishad elections to avert any violence.

Masked miscreants brandish guns and pick up an independent chairman candidate of the Union Parishad polls from his house before killing him in Bandarban’s Ruma upazila.

With elections due in 732 union parishads tomorrow, one man was killed and scores others were injured in pre-polls violence in different places of the country yesterday.

A former election commissioner alleges that the elections in Bangladesh have become an opportunity of nomination trade with money.

A Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal leader was killed early yesterday allegedly by members of the ruling Awami League over a feud centring on the upcoming union parishad polls in Pirojpur.

Civil society platform Sujon criticises role of Election Commission ahead of the upcoming Union Parishad polls and doubts fairness of the election.

Rebel chairman aspirants of union parishads from the Awami League and the BNP yesterday filed for candidacies in many places along with their party-nominated candidates on the last day for nomination submission.

BNP has finalised single chairman candidates in 718 union parishads as of last night with the deadline for filing nomination for the upcoming UP polls expiring today.

The BNP has amended its constitution to include a provision for electing the senior vice-chairman through an election during the party's sixth national council on March 19.

The High Court upholds the Election Commission's decision that had cancelled the candidacy of Krishak Sramik Janata League President Abdul Kader Siddique for Tangail-4 by-polls.

The cabinet yesterday approved the draft of "The Citizenship Law, 2016," expanding the scope of having dual citizenship by expatriate Bangladeshis.

The Election Commission says more than 44.32 lakh new voters have been registered in the electoral roll across the country last year.

Over the past few days, The Daily Star published a series of reports on ordeals of the victims of mindless violence in the name of politics between January 5 and April 5 last year. Lives perished, people were crippled, families torn apart and dreams shattered in the 91 days of brutality that shook the nation to its core. In the last part of the series, we today will tell you the story of a victim who is living a life no one wants.

For 91 days from January 5 to April 5 last year, there was hardly a single day when innocent people were not burnt to death or injured in arson attacks on public transports.

For 91 days from January 5 to April 5 last year, there was hardly a single day when innocent people were not burnt to death or injured in arson attacks on public transports. Some lost their loved ones, others their lone bread earners during the longest spell of horror allegedly carried out by the BNP-led coalition, protesting the January 5, 2014, elections.