Bangladesh began voting in its 13th parliamentary elections on Thursday.
Three people were injured in crude bomb explosions at two polling centres.
The Election Commission reported a 32.88% voter turnout by noon.
Bangladesh’s 13th national parliamentary election began in an atmosphere of cautious optimism on Thursday, even as isolated violence marred voting at a few centres.
At around 9:00 am, a crude bomb exploded at the Reshma International School polling centre in Gopalganj’s Nichupara area, injuring two Ansar members on duty and a 13-year-old girl, officials told Daily star, a Bangladesh newspaper.
According to the report, the injured were identified as Ansar personnel Sukanto Majumdar and Jamal Hossain, and teenager Amena Khanam. They were treated for minor wounds and voting resumed shortly after the blast, according to Presiding Officer Zahirul Islam. Security forces have cordoned off the area and are investigating the incident.
In Munshiganj’s Sadar upazila, a series of hand bomb explosions near the Makhati Gurucharan High School polling centre around 10:15 am briefly disrupted voting, prompting officials to halt polling for about 15 minutes before it resumed under tightened security.
Despite these isolated incidents, voting continued across most parts of the country. The Election Commission reported a 32.88 percent voter turnout at 32,789 polling centres, about 77 percent of the total, by midday (12:00 pm), with polling underway at more than 42,600 centres nationwide and no major suspension of voting reported.
Security forces and election officials have been deployed extensively to ensure a peaceful polling process.
Election Commission senior officials urged voters to exercise their franchise without fear, describing the overall environment as calm and festive in many areas, Daily Star reported.
Voting began at approximately 7:30 am and will continue uninterrupted until late afternoon, with millions of Bangladeshis casting ballots in what is being watched as a significant moment in the country’s political landscape.
