An elderly voter, Masudul Alam Chowdhury, expressed his excitement after casting his ballot in the 13th National Parliamentary Election. At 79 years old, this was the first time he had ever voted in Bangladesh. He has lived in Canada for many years.

Masudul cast his vote on Thursday morning at Dr. Khastagir Government Girls’ High School polling center in the Jamal Khan area of Chattogram city. He arrived early and voted shortly after polling began at 7:30 a.m. His residence is also located in Jamal Khan.

Speaking after voting, he said he had spent most of his life in Canada and had never previously been in the country during election time. “At 79, I finally voted in Bangladesh for the first time. It feels wonderful to be able to take part,” he said.

He added that he hopes the country continues to progress while maintaining peace and stability. He expressed optimism that the newly elected government would reflect the hopes and aspirations of the people. He also said he was satisfied with the overall voting environment.

The Dr. Khastagir Government Girls’ High School center has a total of 4,086 registered voters, both men and women. In the early hours, turnout at the center appeared relatively low. Although 10 candidates are contesting in this constituency, not all polling rooms had agents representing every candidate. According to Presiding Officer Muhibullah, polling agents from BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and the Islamic Front were present.

In the Chattogram-9 (Kotwali–Bakalia) constituency, a total of 10 candidates are in the race. They include Mohammad Abu Sufian of BNP and A.K.M. Fazlul Haque of Jamaat-e-Islami, representing the 11-party electoral alliance. Other candidates are from Islami Andolon Bangladesh, Islamic Front Bangladesh, Ganosamhati Andolon, BASAD (Marxist), Insaniyat Biplob Bangladesh, Nagorik Oikya, Janatar Dal, and JSD.

There are 416,363 registered voters in Chattogram-9. Among them, 213,906 are men, 202,448 are women, and 9 are registered as third gender voters. They will cast their ballots across 121 polling centers in the constituency.