18.5pc votes cast in 4 hours: EC

About 18.5 per cent votes were cast from 8.00am to 12.00pm on Sunday in the 12th national election.

Election Commission Secretary Md Jahangir Alam disclosed this at a press briefing at the EC Secretariat at Agargaon in the city on Sunday noon.

The balloting began at 8am and will continue until 4pm without any break.A total of 1,970 candidates, including 1,534 from 28 political parties and 436 independents, are vying in the polls.

Of the candidates, 266 from the ruling Awami League (AL), 265 from Jatiya Party (JaPa), 135 from Trinomul BNP, 66 from Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JASAD), 122 from National People's Party (NPP), 13 from Jatiya Party (JP) and 10 from Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh are contesting in the polls.