STAFF CORRESPONDENT

Voters stood in long queues in blazing September heat yesterday, eager to cast what was, for most, the first ballot of their lives.

From Curzon Hall to Udayan Higher Secondary School, polling centres teemed with students, the campus buzzing with festivity despite scattered allegations of irregularities and rival panels trading charges throughout the day.

The long-awaited polls began at 8:00am and continued till 4:00pm across eight centres. The Daily Star correspondents stationed on the ground observed that voting remained largely peaceful and orderly.

At Udayan, covering 6,169 voters from four halls, ballot boxes had been shown empty to polling agents and journalists before voting began. Within the first hour, around 900 ballots were cast.

Students took an average of 7-8 minutes to fill 41 Ducsu and 13 hall

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