Dhaka. Voting for the general elections in Bangladesh started on Thursday morning. Along with exercising the franchise, Chief Advisor to the interim government, Mohammad Yunus called it a historic moment for the country. He said, today is a day of happiness and freedom for the entire Bangladesh. This is the end of our nightmare and the beginning of a new dream.
Actually, voting is being held on 299 seats out of the 300-member Parliament of Bangladesh, while the election on Sherpur-3 seat has been canceled after the death of a candidate. This time 51 political parties are in the electoral fray, but the main contest is believed to be between Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami.
About 12 crore 77 lakh voters are exercising their franchise in the elections. The role of youth is being considered important in this voting being conducted under the ‘First-Past-The-Post’ system. Nearly half of the voters are in the 18 to 37 year age group, including about 45.7 lakh first-time voters.
Here Mohammad Yunus after voting called it a historic moment for the country. After casting his vote, he said, today is a day of happiness and freedom for the whole of Bangladesh. This is the end of our nightmare and the beginning of a new dream. We have to create a new Bangladesh together at every level. He appealed to the citizens to vote in large numbers and wished everyone “Eid Mubarak”.
Rahman said- Today people got their rights back
Former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s party BNP is being considered the main contender for power. It is believed that if BNP gets majority, Khaleda Zia’s son and party chief Tariq Rehman can take over the responsibility of the post of Prime Minister. In such a situation, Tariq Rehman, who is contesting from two seats (Dhaka-17 and Bogra-6), said after voting that the people of the country were waiting for this day for a long time. Today people have got their rights back. If people reach polling stations in large numbers, any conspiracy can be foiled. Expressing confidence in his possible victory, Rahman said that if elected, his priority would be to improve the law and order situation in the country.
Although reports of untoward incidents were reported from some parts of the country the night before voting, the Election Commission and the administration have assured peaceful and fair voting. This election is considered very important for the politics of Bangladesh, in which everyone’s eyes are fixed on the participation of youth and the possibilities of change of power.
