Dhaka, Feb. 11 -- In what is being hailed as the country's most significant democratic exercise in decades, Bangladesh is set to hold its 13th parliamentary election on Thursday.

People are going to place their hopes on a fair and competitive election that could restore true democracy, choose the country's leaders for the next five years and give them a strong public mandate to reform long-criticised systems.

The voting will be held from 7:30am to 4:30pm without any break at 42,659 polling stations in 299 out of 300 constituencies across the country amid the presence of nearly one million security personnel and another one million polling staff.

The election to Sherpur-3 constituency was cancelled following the death of a contesting ca...