The vote is a direct contest between frontrunner Tarique Rahman's BNP and a Jamaat-e-Islami-led coalition of 11 parties.

DHAKA: For years under former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh’s opposition had little presence on the streets during elections, either boycotting polls or being sidelined…

Alliances led by the BNP and the Jamaat are vying for seats in Bangladesh's first election since Hasina's ouster.