UPDATE - Counting set to begin after Bangladesh's largely peaceful general elections

UPDATES WITH POLLS CLOSING; REVISES HEADLINE, LEDE

By SM Najmus Sakib and Saadet Gokce

DHAKA, Bangladesh / ISTANBUL (AA) – Counting is set to begin on Thursday after Bangladesh held a largely peaceful general elections, the first since a popular uprising ended the 15-year rule of the Awami League party.

Officials have yet to announce the start of counting of the ballots.

About 2 1/2 hours before over 36,000 polling stations closed, voter turnout was recorded at 47.9%, said Akhtar Ahmed, senior secretary of the Bangladesh Election Commission.

But final voter turnout is possible only after all election centers submit their papers.

The day of the election was largely peaceful with reports of one death and two small Molotov cocktail attacks in Chauddagram, eastern Bangladesh and another at a polling station in Gopalganj Sadar.

The death was of a man in Bhairab, Kishoreganj, according to daily Prothomalo.

A few injuries were also reported.

More than 127.6 million people were eligible to vote in the election as well as a referendum on constitutional reforms.

Amid heavy security with some one million security personnel deployed, voting began at 7.30 am (0130GMT) and closed nine hours later at 4.30 pm (1030GMT).

Long queues of people were seen outside polling stations.

The results are likely to trickle in by late Thursday local time as people elect 300 members of parliament across the nation.

A total of 51 political parties and 2,034 candidates are competing for parliamentary seats, including 275 independent contenders.

In addition to the 300 general seats where candidates are elected directly by the people, parliament includes 50 reserved seats for women, bringing the total size of the house to 350 members.

A Bangladesh Nationalist Party-led alliance and a Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance were the two main contenders after the Awami League party of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was barred from the polls.