DHAKA (Web Desk) – Two individuals have been sentenced to prison for attempting to cast fake votes while counting is underway across Bangladesh after tens of millions of citizens cast their ballots in the country’s national parliamentary election, according to local media and election authorities.
The vote is being seen as a pivotal political moment following the 2024 ouster of long-time prime minister Sheikh Hasina after a student-led uprising that ended her two-decade rule.
Her Awami League party is banned, and she remains in self-imposed exile in India.
Bangladeshi media reported that two people were each sentenced to two years in prison for attempting to cast fraudulent votes in separate constituencies. The incidents took place in Sirajganj-4 and Jhalokathi-2.
In Sirajganj, a 22-year-old man identified as Rubel Hussain allegedly tried to cast a second ballot on behalf of a voter living abroad after already voting. Election officials detained him and presented him before a summary court, which handed down a two-year jail sentence.
In Jhalokathi, a 34-year-old woman was convicted by a mobile court for attempting to submit a fake vote. Along with a two-year prison term, she was also fined 50,000 taka, according to local reports.
Polling closes, counting begins in Bangladesh election after high turnout
Election Commission officials said polling closed with counting beginning at most booths at 4:30 p.m. local time. Early trends were expected around midnight, with clearer results likely by Friday morning.
Akhtar Ahmed, senior secretary of the Election Commission, told reporters that nearly half of the electorate had voted at 36,031 of the country’s 42,651 polling centres by 2 p.m. GMT+6, with two and a half hours of voting still remaining at that time.
That figure already exceeded the total turnout of 42 per cent recorded in the last national election in 2024.
Tight contest
More than 2,000 candidates, including a large number of independents, are contesting 300 seats in the Jatiya Sangsad, the national parliament. At least 50 political parties are in the race, marking a record level of participation. Voting in one constituency was postponed following the death of a candidate.
The main contest is between two rival coalitions led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami, formerly political allies. Opinion polls have suggested an edge for the BNP.
Analysts say a decisive outcome is important for stability in the country of about 175 million people after months of unrest that disrupted major industries, including the garments sector, the world’s second largest exporter of ready-made clothing.
Heavy security
Authorities deployed around 958,000 security personnel nationwide, including police, army and paramilitary forces, to safeguard polling day operations. Security officers were stationed outside most voting centres, with additional patrols in sensitive districts.
Officials said the election marks the first national vote held after a youth-driven uprising led by under-30s, with observers watching closely as the country enters a new political phase.