Women voters crowd Dhaka polling centres from dawn, voice hope for safer Bangladesh

In the 13th national election and referendum held today (12 February), polling centres across the capital witnessed a notable turnout of women voters from early morning, with long queues forming at various centres as early as 6am.

Although voting officially began at 7:30am, many voters arrived well before the scheduled time and waited patiently.

A visit to different centres in six constituencies of Dhaka showed that until 12pm, the presence of women voters outnumbered that of men.

Many said they preferred to cast their votes in the morning and return home early. Others mentioned concerns that any unexpected situation later in the day might make it difficult to reach the centres, prompting them to vote early.

Polling centres across the capital experienced a significant turnout of women voters from early morning, with long queues forming at various centres from as early as 6am. Photo: TBS

At the Kallyanpur Girls' School and College centre, nearly 300 women voters were standing in line even before 7am. After the gates opened, they entered the centre in an orderly manner.

Speaking to The Business Standard (TBS), Nusrat Alam Ivy, who arrived at 7:10am to vote, said after casting her ballot, "I came at dawn and stood in line. I feel good to be able to vote peacefully. I hope the new government controls commodity prices and improves the law and order situation."

Another voter said, "I need to finish household work after voting, so I came early. If the environment remains good, everyone can vote without fear."

Two sisters who voted for the first time said they felt proud to independently choose their preferred candidate. They believe such an environment should continue in the future.

After casting her vote at Sher-E-Bangla Nagar Government Girls' High School, Jannatul Ferdous told TBS, "I became a voter in 2000, but this is the first time I have voted. I want a safe Bangladesh from the new government."

According to the latest data from the Election Commission, the total number of voters in the country stands at 127,711,793. Among them, 62,885,200 are women and 64,825,361 are men.

The EC said that no major untoward incidents had been reported until 12pm.

After speaking to nearly 50 women voters at around 50 centres in Dhaka, it was found that a large portion of voters expect a safer country, stable law and order, job creation, and control of commodity prices from the new government. Many said, "We hope to vote in such a peaceful environment every five years."

Since morning, polling centres across the capital maintained a festive atmosphere, and the enthusiastic participation of women voters added a distinct dimension to the election. However, voter turnout declined after 2pm.