Bangladesh polls: Sheikh Hasina re-elected from Gopalganj-3 constituency

The counting for the Bangladesh polls, which were held on Sunday, has started. The voting for the much-awaited polls was held between 8 am and 4 pm. With the main Opposition BNP boycotting the polls, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is set to make a comeback. She was re-elected from the Gopalganj constituency while the ruling Awami League candidates were leading in most of the seats.

Hyderabad/Dhaka: The counting for the Bangladesh polls started after voting ended at 4 pm on Sunday. The voting for the 12th parliamentary elections in Bangladesh, which started at 8.00 am local time across 42,000 polling centres for 299 parliamentary seats, ended at 4.00 pm.

Bangladesh Prime Minister and Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina was re-elected to parliament on Sunday from the Gopalganj-3 constituency after a landslide victory in the general elections. Hasina, 76, bagged 249,965 votes while her nearest rival M Nizam Uddin Lashkar from the Bangladesh Supreme Party secured just 469 votes.

Gopalganj Deputy Commissioner and Returning Officer Kazi Mahbubul Alam announced the result. She has won the Gopalganj-3 seat for the eighth time since 1986. The ruling Awami League candidates are leading in most of the seats, according to the results so far.

The polls were marred by sporadic incidents of violence, clashes, and rigging. With the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) boycotting the polls, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is set for her fourth straight term in office. According to the Election Commission, a total of 1,970 candidates are in the poll fray. For one seat, the election will be held later because of the death of an independent candidate.The candidates include 1,534 from political parties and 436 independents

Awami League leader Zillur Rahman was found dead near a polling centre in Munshiganj on Sunday morning. Rahman was a supporter of AL nominated candidate from Munshiganj-3 Mrinal Kanti Das. Munshiganj Superintendent of Police Aslam Khan said the body was recovered but there were no reports of violence from the polling centre. Earlier in the day, a clash broke out between opposition BNP men and police in Chattogram's Chandgaon area.

The BNP men, who were staging demonstrations by blocking the road with burning tyres threw stones at police personnel who retaliated, police said.

Eight candidates in different constituencies boycotted the polls, alleging vote rigging and irregularities. Four people, including a child, were injured after unidentified people exploded two crude bombs near a polling centre in Hazaribagh near Dhaka. Voting at Narsingdi-4 (Monohardi-Belabo) was cancelled over allegations of ballot stuffing.