South Asia News
Voting begins in Bangladesh city polls
Jun 17, 2010, 7:44 GMT
Dhaka - Voting began Thursday in the Bangladeshi city of Chittagong amid tight security with all eyes on the fray between the two contestants backed by the ruling Awami League and opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, officials said.
ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury, who is backed by the Awami League, is fighting to be re-elected mayor of the port city for the fourth time. His main competitor is Mohammad Manjur Alam.
'The elections are being held in a peaceful manner, and there was no report of violence,' Jesmin Tuli, an election official, said after inspecting a number of polling stations.
Voters started queuing up well before the polling stations opened at 8 am (0200 GMT), said Tushar Hayat, a resident.
The polls are due to close at 4 pm.
The election commission has deployed some 20,000 law enforcement officers, including over 700 army personnel, across the city to maintain order during the polls.
As many as 1,688,676 voters are registered to elect a city mayor and city councillors for 41 wards.
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