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Published on April 29, 2015
Candidates allied to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina secured landslide victories in the capital Dhaka and port city of Chittagong following the BNP's withdrawal several hours into voting on Tuesday, polling officers said.
"I've visited quite a few booths during the vote and found trouble in only one booth," Election Commissioner Shah Nawaz told AFP, declaring the polls largely free and fair.
The BNP, led by former premier Khaleda Zia, had hoped a strong showing would add momentum to its long-running campaign to force new national elections.
Zia's party refused to take part in the general election last year on the grounds it would be rigged. It returned to politics recently after three months of crippling protests, which were aimed at toppling current AL government. They have failed to achieve their goal as the people of Bangladesh didn't support any of their movements.
BNP was unable to assign polling agents at the voting centres. They also failed to choose suitable candidates for the election. The party is getting scrutinized of its lack of seriousness towards a vital election in the major cities thus raising questions towards their claim of vote rigging.
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