A total of 147 platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were deployed across the country on Sunday to maintain law and order ahead of the January 7 elections as a 12-hour road, rail and waterways blockade called by the Opposition BNP and its allies demanding the resignation of Sheikh Hasina-led government is underway.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its mostly far-Right allies allege that no election under the incumbent dispensation would be fair and demand the restoration of a non-party interim government for election oversight by amending the country’s Constitution.

The blockade began at 6am and will end at 6pm, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.

Of the 147 platoons, 16 teams are patrolling in Dhaka and adjoining districts, Shariful Islam, public relations officer at the BGB, was quoted as saying by the newspaper.

This is the 12th such blockade called by the Opposition parties since October 31, and the first since the announcement of the BNP’s non-cooperation movement against the government on December 20 during which the party urged people not to pay taxes and utility bills as part of the campaign.

In the national capital, the BNP and its affiliate parties held separate protest rallies in support of the ongoing blockade and non-cooperation movement