Dhaka, Dec 29 : Ninth Parliamentary Elections came to an after Bangladeshis voted today overwhelmingly to elect the ninth Parliament of the country after two years of the emergency rule.

Over 80 percent voters exercised their franchise in the election.

According to Chief Election Commissioner Dr ATM Shamsul Huda, approximately 50 percent votes had been cast till 2pm when he visited poling centres in Dhaka.

"I''m happy over the pace of vote casting and so far the polling across the country is peaceful," he added.

Earlier today, Awami League President Sheikh Hasina expressed the hope that the Awami League-led grand alliance will get the chance of running the country after securing mandate in the elections.

She also flashed V-sign after casting her vote at the Dhaka City College center.

Meanwhile, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia said, "We have said earlier that the BNP-led alliance will win the election with the mandate of people across the country."

According to an earlier EC announcement, the manual counting will begin immediately after the polls close as the unofficial results are expected by early Tuesday.

Bangladesh is now expected to begin her journey towards democracy once again from the beginning of next year.

Bangladesh has been ruled by the military-backed government since January last year when months of political turmoil prompted the army to cancel polls and impose a state of emergency.

Bangladesh attempted to hold elections twice in 2006, but months of strikes and street violence forced the present army backed Caretaker government to step in. (ANI)