A total of about 120 million Bangladeshis are eligible to cast their ballots at more than 42,000 polling stations, according to the country’s Election Commission.
More than 1,500 candidates from 27 political parties are contesting in the election apart from 436 independent candidates. Voting will start at 8am (local time) and will end at 5pm. The results are expected to start flowing from early on January 8.
Pre-election opinion polls suggest Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is set to win a fourth straight term and the fifth overall for her Awami League-led ruling alliance.
The elections come against a backdrop of pre-election violence and fear for more as BNP and other like-minded parties have announced a boycott of the polls and have called for a two-day nationwide strike from Saturday.
Tensions have spiked in Bangladesh since October when a massive anti-government rally demanding Hasina's resignation and a caretaker government to oversee the election turned violent. Hasina's administration said there was no constitutional provision to allow a caretaker government.
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