On Thursday, leaders of top Bangladeshi political parties said they would accept the election results if they were held in a "free, fair, and impartial manner."
The election is seen as a direct contest between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its former ally, Jamaat-e-Islami, in the absence of deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's now-disbanded Awami League.
BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman, Jamaat-e-Islami Chief Shafiqur Rahman, and interim government Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus all cast their ballots early in the crucial 13th parliamentary elections.
The general elections were held simultaneously with a referendum on Yunus's proposed 84-point reform package.
Voting began at 7:30 am (local time) across 299 of the 300 parliamentary constituencies and ended at 4:30 pm.
Tarique Rahman cast his vote at the Gulshan Model School and College center in Dhaka's upscale Gulshan area.
"I have exercised my constitutional right to vote. The people of Bangladesh have been waiting for this day for over a decade," Rahman said after casting his ballot.
He stated that if elected, "We will prioritize improving law and order in the country to ensure people feel secure."
Later, after visiting several polling centers in the capital, he said that BNP would accept the results if the election is held in a "free, fair, impartial manner and without controversy."
"If the people cast their votes, a democratic beginning can be established in the country today," he was quoted as saying by the state-run BSS news agency.
Expressing optimism about winning the elections, he said, "We are confident, Alhamdulillah, I'm optimistic about victory."
The crucial general election is the first since Hasina's ouster in massive nationwide protests in August 2024.
Shafiqur Rahman, the chief of Jamaat-e-Islami, BNP's former ally and now main contender, cast his vote at the Monipur Uchcha Vidyalaya and College.
Shafiqur said his party would accept the results if the election is held fairly.
He said he hoped the election would pave the way for a government that would not belong to any individual, family, or party, but to the 180 million people of the country.
"We are optimistic about forming such a government. Please pray for us," he was quoted as saying by the BSS.
The mainstream Bangladeshi media was flooded with allegations of pre-poll vote stuffing, voter bribery, distribution of photocopied ballot papers, and clashes among rival candidates, prompting joint forces of the army and police to arrest several activists.
In a midnight statement on a social media platform, the Jamaat chief had urged people to ignore the reports, saying, "Dear countrymen, a 'laylatul gujob' (night of rumours) is underway, don't pay heed to them."
After casting his vote, Shafiqur urged the media to play a neutral role.
BNP Chief Rahman said he received "some unpleasant information last night which was not desired."
Both the BNP and Jamaat earlier urged their supporters to queue in lines at polling centers across the country since predawn hours to prevent rival activists from manipulating votes using various techniques.
Interim government Chief Advisor Yunus, along with his daughter, travelled to a makeshift polling center at a school in the Gulshan area and cast his ballot.
"Let us celebrate the birthday (of the nation) throughout the day...we have the opportunity today to create a new Bangladesh in every sphere," he told the media.
The election is expected to end Yunus's 18-month interim administration, which took charge following Hasina's 15-year-long rule.
The now-disbanded Awami League has been kept out of the fray, with most analysts saying it disfranchised a large segment of voters, preventing them from voting for candidates of their choice.
Speaking to reporters after casting his vote, Home Advisor Lt Gen (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said the election is being held in a fair and festive atmosphere, except for one or two minor isolated incidents.
Sporadic incidents of violence have marred the polls.
In Gopalganj, three people, including a 13-year-old girl, were injured in an alleged crude bomb attack at a polling station, BDnews24 reported.
Separately, a series of hand bomb explosions took place outside a polling station in the Munshiganj-3 constituency, temporarily disrupting voting.
Speaking to reporters after casting votes at Dhaka's Eskaton Garden High School center, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin said that Bangladesh has "boarded the train of democracy" and would soon "reach its destination."
"We are happy with the situation," he said, adding that Bangladesh was holding the "World's largest vote in 2026" while asserting that the polling was underway in a free, fair, and peaceful environment.
Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman urged voters to come out and cast their ballots without fear, expressing optimism that the election would be free and fair.
“Please come out of your homes without fear, go to the polling stations and cast your votes. This is a very important day for us,” he was quoted as saying by the Dhaka Tribune newspaper.
Speaking to reporters after casting his ballot, he said, "I have taken updates early in the morning about the situation across Bangladesh. The information I have received is that the election is being held in a very peaceful manner."
A total of 1,755 candidates from 50 political parties and 273 independents contested in the election.
Election Commission data showed that first-time voters made up some 3.58 per cent of the nearly 127 million voters.
For the first time, nearly 8,00,000 expatriate Bangladeshis registered with the poll body to vote through an IT-based postal ballot system.
