Elections in Bangladesh on January 7.
Awami League leader and PM Sheikh Hasina eying fourth straight term.
Main Opposition party, BNP to boycott polls.
BNP has termed polls as sham designated to cement Hasina's rule.
In 2018, Hasina's Awami League-led alliance won 96 per cent of the 300 seats in parliament amid widespread allegations of vote-rigging.
In 2014, Hasina came to power after a boycott by all major opposition parties.
A total of 1,896 candidates are in the fray for the 300 parliamentary seats.
Instead of the BNP, smaller opposition parties and over 400 independent candidates including scores from the Awami League itself are contesting.
The government has invited international observers and defended the polls as fair and democratic.