Sheikh Hasina to begin poll campaign Thursday

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will on Thursday start her campaign for the Jan 5 general elections, a media report said Wednesday.

Hasina would address her first rally in Faridpur district Thursday, bdnews24.com quoted her press secretary Abul Kalam Azad as saying.

The prime minister would end her two-day election tour Friday after addressing a rally in Munshiganj district, the report said. Hasina, who is the president of the ruling Awami League party, would address at least six rallies in three districts - Faridpur, Gopalganj and Munshiganj.

The main opposition, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party led by former prime minister Khaleda Zia, has urged people from all walks of life to march towards Dhaka Dec 29 to stall the parliamentary elections.

The BNP-led 18-party opposition has been demanding a non-party caretaker government to oversee the elections. But their demand has been rejected by the government, fuelling widespread violence across the country.