Voting for the 12th Jatiya Sangsad (JS) elections ended on Sunday afternoon amid a peaceful and festive atmosphere across the country.
Excepting for a very few sporadic incidents, no major violence or untoward incidents were reported during the polls.
The turnout of voters was around 40 percent, said the Election Commission officials.
All the election observers from home and abroad expressed their satisfaction at the election atmosphere. They said they were happy with the law and order maintained by the security forces across the country.
The observers also lauded the EC authorities and polling officials for their neutral roles over the polls.
The elections were held in 299 constituencies out of 300 as the EC earlier postponed the elections to Naogaon-2 constituency due to the death of an independent candidate Aminul Islam. The voting began at 8:00am and it continued till 4:00pm without any break. At the end of the voting at 4:00pm, the polling officers remained busy counting ballots.
Till filing of the report, most of the candidates from the Awami Legue were in a leading position, said officials concerned.
Witnesses said voters were found standing inlong queues to exercise their franchise since the morning in festive manner across the country.
The EC authorities and other agencies concerned took proper measures immediately after they had been informed of any incident.
The EC also cancelled the candidature of ruling Awami League candidate for Chattogram-16 constituency, Mustafizur Rahman Chowdhury, for violating electoral code of conduct
Awami League (AL) President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina cast her vote at Dhaka City College in the capital at 8:04am. Later, her daughter Saima Wazed voted at the same centre.
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal voted at Habibullah Bahar University College centre in Dhaka in the morning.
"We have completed the election process with coordinated efforts of all," he told the media after exercising his franchise at around 8:30am.
The EC took all-out preparations to hold the elections in a free, fair and peaceful manner.
As many as 11,93,33,157 voters, including 6,05,92,169 male, 5,87,40,140 female and 848 transgender, were registered to exercise their franchise to elect 299 parliament members.
A total of 1,969 candidates, including 1,533 from 28 political parties and 436 independents, are vying in the polls in 299 constituencies.
Around eight lakh officials are discharging their duties in the voting while around 3,000 executive and judicial magistrates side by side with eight lakh law enforcers, including members of armed forces, were on duty to maintain law and order and ensure public security.
Additional Secretary of the EC Ashok Kumar Devnath said a total of 20,773 observers, including 2,000 from different countries across the globe, monitored the elections. The election observers also include media personnel.
According to EC officials, total number of voters this year was 11,96,89,289, including 6,76,09,741 males, 5,89,18,699 females and 849 trans-genders.
The balloting began at 8:00am and continued till 4:00pm without break at 261,912 polling booths in 42,024 voting centres across the country.
A total of 1,970 candidates, including 1,534 from 28 political parties and 436 independents, contested the polls.
Of the candidates, 266 were from the ruling Awami League (AL), 265 from Jatiya Party (JaPa), 135 from Trinomul BNP, 66 from Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JASAD), 122 from National People's Party (NPP), 13 from Jatiya Party (JP) and 10 from Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh.
A total of 90 female candidates from different political parties and independents, and 79 from ethnic minority and other groups contested the polls.
A required number of member of law enforcement agencies were deployed across the country to ensure the security of the voters so that they could go to polling centres, exercise franchise and return home safely.
About eight lakh members of law enforcement agencies and different security forces, including 182,091 from police and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), 1,155 platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members, 505,788 Ansar and VDP members and Coast Guard personnel, had been tasked with ensuring overall security during the elections.
Members of the armed forces have been deployed from Wednesday across the country to assist the local civil administration in holding the general election in a free, fair, and peaceful manner.
Army personnel are performing their duties in 62 districts while Navy personnel have been deployed in two coastal districts- Bhola and Barguna- and 19 upazilas "In Aid to the Civil Power".
Besides, members of Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) are providing assistance to the voting centres in remote hilly areas in the country with helicopters.
Members of law enforcement agencies and armed forces will remain deployed till January 10 to ensure peace, and control law and order.
In addition, BGB Dog Squads specially trained on explosive materials are working in different areas across the country to deal with any violent activities.
Besides, the Fire Service and Civil Defence has formed a central monitoring and coordination cell to deal with any kind of incident including arson and violent activities during the JS elections across the country.
A total of eight lakh polling officials had been engaged in polling activities while more than one lakh others remained standby.
As many as 3,000 executive and judicial magistrates are performing their duties in the fields across the country over the elections.
A total of 66 returning officers (ROs), including two divisional commissioners and 64 deputy commissioners (DCs), are performing their duties over the polls.
The EC has introduced an app named 'Smart Election Management BD' to provide latest updates related to polls every two hours. The app is available on the google play store, from anywhere in the country.
The government imposed a 24-hour ban on the plying of taxicabs, pickup vans, microbuses and trucks starting from midnight on Saturday.
Besides, a 72-hour ban on motorcycle movement has also been imposed from midnight on Friday till midnight on Monday. But the motorcycles having EC pass remained out of the purview of this restriction.
These restrictions are relaxed for law enforcement agencies, armed forces, administration personnel and observers on permission, vehicles on emergency services for carrying medical equipment and things used for identical works, vehicles to be used for going to and return from airport with passengers and all types of vehicles carrying newspapers, long-route vehicles, contesting candidates and their agents.
As per the instructions, jeep, car, microbus and other small size vehicles of the contesting candidates, vehicle for the election agents are allowed to ply the roads. However, they will have to obtain an approval from the returning officer and display sticker on the vehicle.
