Sporadic incidents of violence mar Bangladesh polls: 18.5% turnout till 1210 p.m.

Dhaka : Sporadic incidents of violence, clash and rigging marred the Bangladesh parliamentary elections on Sunday as only 18.5 per cent voter turnout was recorded across 42,000 polling stations till 12.10 a.m. local time, local media reported.

Addressing a press conference, Election Commission Secretary Jahangir Alam said till 1210 a.m. (local time), the voter turnout is 18.5 per cent, the Dhaka Tribune reported.

Though the voter turnout is low as of now, it is expected to increase as the day progresses, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal said.

Irregularities have been reported from 37 places across the country, the EC Control Room said. Till 10 a.m , 8.37 per cent voter turnout was recorded.

Awami League leader Zillur Rahman was found dead near a polling centre in Munshiganj this morning, The Daily Star reported.

Rahman was a supporter of AL-nominated candidate from Munshiganj-3 Mrinal Kanti Das. Munshiganj SP said 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 Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) men and police in Chattogram city's Chandgaon area.

The BNP men, who were staging demonstrations by blocking the road with burning tyres, threw stones on police personnel who retaliated, police said. Voting at Narsingdi-4 (Monohardi-Belabo) was cancelled over allegations of ballot stuffing.

A polling station in Dhaka recorded only 175 votes while no votes were cast at two centres. The voting, which began at 8.00 a.m. local time at over 42,000 polling centres, will continue till 4.00 p.m. local time. According to the Election Commission, a total of 1,970 candidates are in the fray for 299 parliamentary constituencies.

At 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.

The BNP had called a 48-hour nationwide general strike from Saturday seeking resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Hasina is set to win fourth straight term in office for Prime Minister with the main opposition BNP boycotting the polls.