Dhaka - Tens of thousands of policemen, paramilitary frontier guards, auxiliary forces and commandos were put on high alert in Bangladesh on Sunday ahead of mayoral elections in four cities and nine small towns across the country.

There were no lapses in the security blanket that covered the high risk heart of the capital Dhaka, senior police official Noor Mohammad said.

Nearly 22,000 special security forces were deployed in the four large cities including the southern port of Khulna, which also faced seasonal storms and flash floods. (dpa)