A bomb exploded Saturday near a polling booth in Dhaka, killing one person and wounding three as Bangladeshis cast ballots in nine districts where voting had been postponed because of earlier violence. Police said Borhanuddin Ahmed, 25, was killed in the explosion in downtown Dhaka. At least 13 people were killed and more than 300 were wounded in violence during the parliamentary elections held on March 3, and the government stopped and rescheduled the voting in 125 districts. Elections were held in nine districts Saturday, but no results were reported. The major opposition parties boycotted the elections. President Hussain Muhammad Ershad's Jatiya Party won 245 seats in the 300-member parliament in the March 3 balloting, according to results announced by the government. It said a coalition of 73 smaller groups and parties won 15 seats and independent candidates won 15. Ershad's party plans to celebrate its victory with prayer meetings on March 16. Opposition parties have called for protest rallies on March 24, the sixth anniversary of the bloodless coup that brought Gen. Ershad to power. Leading the opposition campaign are Sheik Hasina and Khaleda Zia who have demanded that Ershad resign.
