Bangladesh Holds Historic Election Amid Unrest and Violence

New Delhi:Voting in Bangladesh’s first national election since the 2024 mass protests that toppled former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina concluded at 4:30 pm local time on Thursday with a voter turnout of over 47% as of 2 pm amid the ongoing unrest. After a slow start in the morning, voter turnout picked up later in the day, with crowds gathering at polling stations in Dhaka and other parts of the country. More than 127 million voters were eligible to cast their ballots in what is widely seen as a historic poll following weeks of demonstrations, often described as a “Gen Z uprising”, that forced Hasina from office. She later fled the country and is currently living in India. Her party has been barred from participating in the election. The Election Commission confirmed that voting was conducted in 299 out of 300 constituencies. Polling in one seat was cancelled following the death of a candidate. Despite reports of isolated violence, officials stated that voting was not suspended at any centre nationwide. Counting of votes began shortly after polling ended, with results expected to be announced on Friday. Amid continuing tensions, 55-year-old Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader Mohibuzzaman Kochi died at the Alia Madrasa polling station in Khulna district during the day’s unrest. Former Khulna Sadar Thana BNP organising secretary Yusuf Harun Majnu alleged that tensions had been brewing at the centre since morning. He claimed that the principal of Alia Madrasa was campaigning for Jamaat when Kochi objected. According to Majnu, the principal pushed Kochi during the altercation, causing him to hit a tree and suffer a fatal head injury. Confirming the incident, Khulna Sadar Police Station Sub Inspector Khan Faisal Rafi, who was in charge of the centre, said police intervened as soon as tensions escalated between the two groups and separated them. In a separate incident, a crude bomb explosion took place at a polling centre in Gopalganj, injuring three people- two Ansar members and a 13-year-old girl.