DHAKA: Bangladesh will go to the polls on Sunday amid a boycott by the BNP-led 18 party opposition alliance demanding elections under a caretaker government which Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina refused to concede.
 
The government today announced it has taken all precautions for free, fair and impartial voting with tight security measures firmly in place across the country.
 
A total of 43,938,938 people are likely to cast their vote in 18,208 polling centers to elect their representatives.
 
Polling will be held in only 147 out of 300 seats in 59 out of 64 districts of the country amid boycott by the main opposition BNP and its allies with 390 candidates in the fray.
 
The main opposition BNP and its allies have decided to boycott the elections as the ruling Awami League refused to usher in a neutral administration to oversee the elections.
 
Meanwhile, calling Sunday`s parliamentary polls farcical, BNP Vice Chairman Tarique Rahman through a video message from London, appealed to Bangladeshis to "resist" the election at any cost.
 
Predictably, the ruling Awami League has accused BNP Senior Vice-chairman Tarique Rahman of spreading lies against the government in his video message. Awami League advisory council member Tofail Ahmed urged countrymen to ignore Mr Rahman`s call and cast their vote in the Sunday election.
 
After advising the ruling and opposition alliance to resolve their differences in vain, Commonwealth nations, US, the EU and Russia have refused to send election observers.
 
Many international observers are critical of the polls because the uncontested 154 seats will give a comfortable majority to the Awami League without reflecting the people’s will - a fact that hasn`t gone down well with world leaders.
 
Ahead of voting, miscreants torched around 100 polling centers in at least 28 districts including the capital, Dhaka, Rajshahi, Nilphamari, Narsingdi, Kishoreganj, Feni, Kurigram and Natore in last 20 hours.
 
Clashes were reported from some districts over control of polling centers. A BNP activist was killed and over 50 injured during the clashes.
 
Sunday poses a serious challenge to Sheikh Hasina`s government as several parts of the country, including capital Dhaka, have been witnessing deadly clashes between armed activists of the political two parties for several weeks.

BDST: 2148 HRS, JAN 04, 2014
Edited by: Abul Kalam Azad, Senior Newsroom Editor/M. Mahbub Alam, Asst Output Editor
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