Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)- The 13th National Parliamentary Election and the July Charter referendum going on across the country this morning in a largely festive and peaceful environment, with long queues of voters seen at polling centres from the early hours.
Voting started at 7:30am nationwide, with voters arriving steadily and forming lines in front of polling stations in different districts. It will be continued until 4:30 pm.
In Chattogram, polling began across the city’s 16 constituencies, where 115 candidates are contesting. Long queues were observed at several centres, including the Omar Gani MES College polling station in the Khulshi area under the Chattogram-10 constituency.
According to the returning officers’ offices, the city has 6,682,517 registered voters, including 3,483,887 men, 3,198,560 women and 70 transgender voters.
In Khulna, voting began peacefully at 840 centres, with no reports of any untoward incidents during the early hours. At the Rayermahal Taltala Government Primary School polling centre under Khulna-3, long queues of women voters were seen from the morning. First-time voter Laila Khatun said, “This is my first time voting. I feel very good.” Housewife Salma Begum also expressed satisfaction, saying she was happy to vote after a long time.
In Lakshmipur, the election began amid a festive atmosphere and tight security arrangements. Polling started at 7:30am across the district’s four constituencies, where 29 candidates are contesting. Authorities categorised 496 polling centres based on security importance—215 highly important, 198 important and 83 general. Long queues were seen at centres such as Uttar Lorens Madinatul Ulum Madrasa in Lakshmipur-4 and Lakshmipur Girls’ School in Lakshmipur-3.
In Narsingdi, voting is underway peacefully at 663 centres across five constituencies. At the Chinishpur Government Primary School centre under Narsingdi-1 (Sadar), large numbers of voters were seen standing in separate queues for men and women, with law enforcement personnel on duty to ensure smooth polling.
In Cumilla, voter turnout was strong, with long lines extending beyond polling centres. At Dhamaicha Government Primary School in Laksam, Presiding Officer Md Saiful Islam said the centre has eight booths and 4,004 voters, including 2,110 men and 1,894 women. “There is voter pressure at present and it is expected to decrease gradually,” he said. An elderly voter, Nomita Rani Pal, said she felt good after casting her vote following a long gap.
At Makrabpur Government Primary School and Makrabpur High School in Nangalkot, a total of 7,826 voters—3,853 men and 3,973 women—were registered.
In Rajshahi, voting is being held at 778 polling centres across six constituencies. At Shah Makhdum College and Rajshahi Polytechnic Institute in Rajshahi-2, voters were seen standing in queues from early morning. BNP candidate Mizanur Rahman Minu cast his vote around 8am and described the environment as peaceful, expressing optimism about victory. Jamaat-nominated candidate Mohammad Jahangir also noted a large turnout, though he mentioned slight slowness in the voting process.
In Bogura, voting is taking place in seven constituencies, with a total of 3,295 registered voters—1,613 men and 1,682 women.
Overall, the election process has so far remained peaceful, with voters across the country participating enthusiastically in what many described as a festive democratic exercise.
BBN/SSR/AD