Voters were seen turning up in large numbers from the morning at most polling centres in the Dhaka-9 constituency, with noticeable participation from constituents.
Dhaka-9 comprises the areas of Mugda, Manda, Basabo and parts of Khilgaon. Among the prominent contenders in the seat are BNP candidate Habibur Rashid Habib and independent candidate Tasnim Jara.
Candidates from the NCP and Islami Andolan Bangladesh are also in the race.
BNP-nominated candidate Habibur Rashid Habib cast his vote at the Madartek Abdul Aziz School and College centre.
Speaking to journalists after casting his vote, Habib said people were happy to get the opportunity to vote after 17 years. He said voters from all age groups had been lining up since morning to exercise their franchise.
“Regardless of victory or defeat, our expectation is that people will be able to vote peacefully,” he said.
Meanwhile, independent candidate Tasnim Jara raised concerns over the transparency of the voting process.
While visiting the Khilgaon Model College centre in the morning, she alleged to reporters that her polling agents were denied entry from several polling centres on the grounds that they were not voters of the Dhaka-9 constituency.
She said there is no such provision in the election law that requires polling agents to be voters of the same constituency. Questioning the situation, Tasnim Jara asked how the election could be described as transparent.
Her allegations came amid an otherwise active voting atmosphere across the constituency, where turnout appeared steady during the early hours of polling.
In other instances, female agents were reportedly removed from male-designated centres. Conflicting instructions regarding mobile phone use were also being used as grounds for obstruction, she added.
Jara said similar complaints had been received from many polling centres across the Dhaka-9 constituency.
In Dhaka-9, Tasnim Jara is contesting the election against BNP candidate Habibur Rashid Habib and National Citizen Party candidate Javed Rasin.
