Bangladesh elections: Security on high alert ahead of polls

Bangladesh is voting in a general election, with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina seeking her third consecutive term in office.

Security forces are on high alert, with some 600,000 security personnel deployed across the nation. More than 100m people are eligible to vote.

More than a dozen people have been killed in clashes between supporters of rival political parties.

Ms Hasina is expected to win, while her main rival is in jail for corruption.

High-speed mobile internet has been ordered to be shut down until after the elections, a decision made to prevent rumours and propaganda from triggering unrest, an official said.

Shortly before polls opened, a BBC correspondent saw filled ballot boxes at a polling centre in the port city of Chittagong (Lalkhan Bazar, Chittagong 10 constituency).

When the presiding officer of the centre was asked about them, he declined to comment.

Only ruling party polling agents were present at that and several other polling centres in the second largest city of the country.

Courtesy : BBC News