Dhaka, Feb. 9 -- Twenty former ministers, MPs, senior officials and journalists currently in custody have cast their votes in the national election through postal ballots.

Forty such inmates had registered to vote, Inspector General of Prisons Brig Gen Syed Md Motaher Hossain said on Sunday night.

"Of these, 20 have refused to vote. The rest have cast ballots as per rules," he said.

The prisons chief declined to disclose names of those who registered or voted.

Asked why some abstained, he said: "They fear the Election Commission could trace who they voted for. They told us they were unwilling to take that risk."

Postal ballots require voters to sign or provide fingerprints alongside the ballot paper's serial number.

Motaher said inm...