Bangladesh election: 'What is the point?' ask disillusioned voters

Noor Bashar makes just 500 Bangladeshi taka ($4.50; £3.55) daily - half of what he needs to feed his family of nine.

That sum could shrunk further as inflation in Bangladesh soars.

"People are really suffering," says the 43-year-old day labourer who lives in Cox's Bazaar, 400km (250 miles) south of the capital Dhaka.

"If I buy fish, I cannot buy spices. If I buy spices, I can't buy rice."

Bangladesh, a country of 170 million, is struggling in a cost-of-living crisis. The country's once-promising growth curve has dipped and graver challenges loom in the low-lying delta that is vulnerable to climate change.

But disillusioned voters have no hope that Sunday's election, which they say is a foregone conclusion, will improve their lives.

"My main aim is to feed my family. I don't care about politics as it will not feed my family. I'm always thinking about how I will would repay the loans which I borrowed from people," said Mr Bashar.

The ruling Awami League led by Sheikh Hasina seems set to tighten its authoritarian grip with this election, which has been boycotted by the main opposition, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

This comes after Ms Hasina's government arrested tens of thousands of rival politicians and supporters, a move which rights groups have condemned as an attempt to paralyse the opposition ahead of the poll.

In the eyes of many voters, the Awami League has already won as there is no credible opposition candidate. Many fear that a fourth straight term for Ms Hasina would worsen the economic situation, deepening their despair.

"I don't have any interest in the elections. Why should I care? The outcome, whatever it is, will not change my fate," said Gias Uddin, a security guard in the port city of Chittagong.

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