The first national election in independent Bangladesh was held on March 7, 1973 where a total of 1,209 candidates, including 120 independents, contested 300 seats.

The country is ready to return to normal through today's election after a lot of dramatic turns of events during the last two years' rule under a state of emergency that resulted from confrontational politics.

The government has deployed about six lakh security personnel across the country to ensure the holding of a free, fair and neutral parliamentary election peacefully.

In election observation, it is the process that matters. The outcome in terms of who wins or loses the election seems immaterial to observers.

The Dalit community (Harijans), usually considered as untouchables by the society, is very optimistic about today's national elections, as for the first time in history some political parties have pledged to uphold their rights in election manifestoes.

Polling hour: from 8:00am to 4:00pm without any break
If you are already in the queue inside the boundary of the polling station, you are allowed to cast vote regardless of the timeframe

Unique Group Managing Director Noor Ali Wednesday withdrew the Tk 5-crore extortion case he filed against Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina and begged pardon for his "unintended" act yesterday.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) is spreading a five-tier security net in the capital involving 38,928 law enforcers to ensure peaceful holding of the December 29 parliamentary election.

It is like a comeback of the Eid festival -- people rushing home. This time, the travel is for a different purpose, though. They are keen to exercise the right to vote.

The Election Commission (EC) has directed the returning officers (ROs) to inform the parliamentary contenders to submit their election expenditure report in next 30 days since publication of poll results in official gazette.

A nationwide independent audit of the country's new digital voter list has concluded that all names on the roll are of legitimate voters and nearly all eligible voters are on the list.

As many as 142 candidates from 40 constituencies spent on average about Tk 3.04 lakh each for campaigns before electioneering was allowed as per electoral laws, says Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB).

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday ruled out any possibility of pulling out of the December 29 election race.

Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina yesterday promised to voters of the northern districts that if her grand electoral alliance is voted to power, her government will establish a hospital for every 6,000 residents of the region.

With clean personality and family glory of Bangabandhu, Awami League-led grand alliance's Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh is ready for a tough battle with BNP's previous lawmaker Khandaker Mahabub Uddin Ahmed in Dhaka-12 constituency.

The Election Commission (EC) has warned Speaker Jamiruddin Sircar and 12 other parliamentary contenders for violation of electoral code of conduct in their electioneering.

Voters will not see the top two rival political figures of the country face to face in an electoral debate after all, as the Election Commission (EC) scrapped its plan for arranging the debate due to their hectic electoral campaign schedules, although the commission had everything ready for it.

More than a half of the election campaign fund of Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh central leader, Delwar Hossain Saydee, is coming from 'voluntary contributions' of 44 persons, according to his wealth statement submitted to the Election Commission (EC).

The government has announced December 29 public holiday to enable all to cast their votes in the national elections in a holiday mood.

A poverty-free Bangladesh is the centrepiece of the election agenda by the two major parties. Both make a common refrain in speeches -- they are pledge-bound to lift the poor out of poverty.

US Ambassador James F Moriarty yesterday hoped that the upcoming parliamentary elections in Bangladesh would be fair, peaceful and free from intimidation.

The Election Commission (EC) is assembling a special committee to monitor law and order round the clock for the December 29 polls, and if necessary, issue immediate instructions from its secretariat.

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) yesterday recovered three improvised hand grenades from Nabiabad village in Devidwar upazila of Comilla, around an hour after BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia addressed an election rally four km away.

Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged voters to remain alert, so none may rig the December 29 election.

Jatiya Party (JP) Chairman HM Ershad yesterday accused the Awami League of betraying with the party in 11 constituencies and asked AL candidates of Rangpur region to stop campaigning in the greater interest of the grand alliance.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday pledged to build a "digital Bangladesh" quicker than the Awami League (AL).

Two former student leaders have locked horns for the prominent Dhaka-8 constituency with the experienced of the two having an upper hand for being well-known in the national politics.

The inaugural session of the ninth parliament is set to begin late January or early February next year with unprecedented workload of determining the fates of over 100 ordinances within 30 days of the first sitting.

Once a petty trader in Old Dhaka, Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu, has managed to establish himself as a wealthy individual over the years, initially through a reign of terror unleashed by his gang of thugs in the locality, and then by using his political influence.

Tajul Islam blares out slogans through his microphone and urges people to attend a rally, six days short of the national elections.

The Supreme Court (SC) yesterday rejected appeals filed by 11 parliamentary aspirants against the High Court (HC) rulings, which upheld the Election Commission's (EC) decisions cancelling their candidature on different grounds.

The four-party candidate in the Sylhet-6 constituency yesterday filed a case against ATN Bangla for telecasting a news report on the private TV channel about war criminals contesting the parliamentary election.

Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangsad yesterday published a list of 600 war criminals responsible for the mass killings, rapes and other misdeeds during the country's Liberation War.

Most of the election pledges of Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Motiur Rahman Nizami remained unmet in Santhia and Bera upazilas under Pabna-1 constituency during the past BNP-led four-party alliance government.

Krishak Shramik Janata League (KSJL) led by Abdul Kader Siddiqui Bir Uttam have good prospects to bag at least two out of the eight Jatiya Sangsad (JS) seats in Tangail district in the upcoming national election, party sources claimed.

Jatiya Party sacrificed a lot to remain in the grand alliance but Awami League 'betrayed' JP in eleven out of 49 constituencies by fielding candidates violating electoral understanding, JP chairman H M Ershad has said.

With only six days left for the national election, four-party alliance nominees are still fighting rebel candidates in seven out of 21 constituencies of Barisal division.

Sector Commander Forum (SCF) leaders yesterday called upon the people to vote war criminals out of politics.

A large number of expatriate people, living in the UK, the USA and Canada have come to their homes in Moulvibazar to participate in the election campaign of their favourite candidates.

Candidates of both BNP and AL- led alliances, the two main contenders of Chittagong- 7, are carrying out vigorous campaign with pledges for developing roads and focusing on industrialisation in the constituency.

There is no female candidate in Sylhet district this time, although the number of female voters is a little higher than the male ones in five out of six constituencies.

Shirin Akhter Banu is the lone woman candidate in the eleven parliamentary constituencies in greater Dinajpur (Dinajpur, Thakurgaon and Panchagarh districts) in the upcoming parliamentary election.

Awami League eyes a big win in Pabna-2 (Sujanagar-Bera) constituency in the upcoming parliamentary election as the party nominee Air Vice Marshal (retd) AK Khandaker, the deputy chief of Mukti Bahini during the Liberation War, is getting heartily welcome from locals.

All the three candidates of Chapainawabganj-3 (sadar) constituency have violated the election code of conduct.

One hundred forty-four polling centres of 10 upazilas have been identified as 'vulnerable', said Rangamati superintendent of police (SP) Masud-ul-Hasan.

Hundreds of people yesterday demonstrated for cancellation of the Kalatali government primary school polling centre in Karimganj upazila in Kishoreganj-3 (Karimganj-Tarail) constituency.

Training of over 30,000 election officials recruited for conducting the December 29 election in 16 constituencies in Chittagong district is nearing an end.

People of Sadullapur upazila are now united to cast vote in favour of independent candidate Awami League (AL) leader Yunus Ali Sarker instead of grand alliance candidate Jatiya Party (JP) leader TIM Fazley Rabbi Chowdhury in Gaibandha-3 (Palashbari-Sadullapur) constituency.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday urged voters to 'save Islam and the country' by voting for BNP-led four-party alliance nominees in the December 29 parliamentary election.

BNP-led four-party alliance nominee in Dhaka-18 constituency Azizul Baree Helal is facing tough challenges as his main electoral rival grand alliance nominee veteran Awami League (AL) leader Sahara Khatun has the advantage of being more prominent, and a strong base among voters.

Mufti Fazlul Haque Amini, chairman of Islami Oikya Jote (IOJ), is dependent on donations from well-wishers for his election expenditure.

Walk down any road in the capital -- quiet or busy -- and you can feel the tide of emotions over the year-end elections runs deep.

Law enforcement agencies yesterday suggested that Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina should not wave at crowds as she gets on her vehicle during election campaign tours.

Authentic results of the December 29 national elections from the polling centers can be published in the media, Election Commission Secretary Humayun Kabir told journalists yesterday.

It is important to know about the person one is going to vote for in the upcoming election.

Cultural activists yesterday took an oath to vote down war criminals in the upcoming parliamentary elections and continue movement for holding their trial.

In a major step the Election Commission (EC) yesterday decided to launch investigations against three BNP and two Jatiya Party candidates who allegedly concealed information in their affidavits submitted with nomination papers.

The election campaign strategies of Awami League President Sheikh Hasina and BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia differ, often starkly, in texture and tone.

The Election Commission (EC) yesterday decided to deploy judicial magistrates in the December 29 general election, following the Supreme Court's (SC) disapproval of its earlier decision to empower executive magistrates to try punishable electoral offences.

Awami League (AL) President Sheikh Hasina yesterday said her life is under threat since a certain quarter is afraid of the mass surge in favour of Boat, her party's electoral symbol, ahead of the parliamentary election.

BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia yesterday said, if voted to power, her government will construct the Padma Bridge at Mawa to connect the southern region with the capital.

The Election Commission (EC) will destroy around 24 lakh ballot papers printed for eight constituencies where it has let new contenders be in the December 29 parliamentary polls on court orders.

The Awami League-led grand alliance is threatened with losing a lot of votes in at least 41 seats to the rebel candidates of alliance components AL and Jatiya Party (JP) in the December 29 parliamentary elections.

A large number of voters having their origins in Munshiganj might play a decisive role in the upcoming parliamentary elections in Dhaka-6 constituency as the two electoral alliances have nominated candidates hailing from that district considering the factor.