Bangladesh heads into election; 1,970 candidates vying for 300 seats:

The Election Commission of Bangladesh has reinstated the candidature of 77 aspirants on Wednesday following the order of the High Court and now the total number of candidates for the January 7 polls stands at 1,970.
Bangladesh, the nation of nearly 180 million people will vote this coming Sunday to elect 300 lawmakers and the next government. With the candidates of Ganotantri Party got their candidacy back, the total number of political parties joining the national polls is now 28.

The ruling party, Awami league is contesting on 266 seats to seek its fourth term while remaining seats it left for its alliance partners. Sheikh Hasina led Awami league has been in power since 2009.

The main opposition party in parliament, Jatiya Party (JP) nominated 265 candidates to run in the electoral race. However, around 26 JP candidates have withdrawn so far.

The number of women candidates is now 90, while 79 candidates from religious and ethnic minorities are contesting the polls.

Meanwhile, the major opposition party Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its allies, are boycotting the upcoming polls, alleging a free and fair election is not possible under the current government.

Armed forces will remain deployed across Bangladesh from January 3 to January 10 to ensure peace and order before, during, and after the election day. The official media release said that the armed forces are being deployed to assist the local civil administration in holding a free, fair, and peaceful election in Bangladesh.

Apart from the armed forces, members of Coast Guard, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), armed police and Ansar will also be on election duty.