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Bangladesh goes to poll amid violent opposition protests

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ANI London
Last Updated : Jan 05 2014 | 11:35 AM IST

Voting has begun in Bangladesh's parliamentary election amid opposition protests that have left a number of people dead.

At least 100 polling stations were torched on the eve of the election.

The opposition Bangladesh National Party (BNP) began a nationwide 48-hour strike on Saturday a day after its leader Khaleda Zia urged supporters to 'completely boycott' what she called a 'scandalous farce' of an election, the BBC reports.

Voting is expected to be patchy and in more than half of constituencies there is no voting at all.

The move comes as the opposition boycott has led to government candidates being declared winners in advance.

Police and election officials reported arson attacks at around 100 polling stations in some 20 districts around the country on Saturday, including in Dhaka.

In other violence, police said at least 12 people were injured when a petrol bomb was hurled through the window of a train in the north-west town of Natore, the report added.

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First Published: Jan 05 2014 | 11:23 AM IST

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