Voting took place in the by-polls to the Dhaka-10 parliamentary seat on Saturday amid the global coronavirus pandemic.
More than 312,000 people are eligible to cast their ballots in the polls that started at 9 a.m. and will end at 5 pm, bdnews24 reported
Electronic voting machines (EVM) are being used in the Dhaka polls as a protective measure to pin an effort to stop the spread of the virus , said Returning Officer GM Sahtabuddin.
Hand sanitisers and facemasks have been arranged for the election officers, he said.
Bangladesh has suspended all international fights except on four routes — UK, China, Hong Kong and Thailand — starting Saturday till March 31 due to the global coronavirus pandemic.
International commercial passenger flights with 10 countties — Malaysia, Oman, Singapore, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Turkey, India, and Bahrain — have been suspended, The Daily Star quoted the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) as saying in a statement.
Bangladesh has so far reported 20 coronavirus cases, with one fatality.
Last week, BNP Standing Committee member said, “We know there will be no fair election also this time when EVMs are used. We will continue to be against use of EVMs till last day of Dhaka city elections”.
However, Awami League mayoral candidate Sayeed Khokon said use of EVMs will be as per rules of City Corporation Law.