Many opposition candidates pull out of Bangladesh election citing vote rigging: media

The logo of the Bangladesh Election Commission is seen on a ballot box during the general election in Dhaka, Bangladesh, December 30, 2018. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - More than 40 candidates of the opposition alliance in Bangladesh pulled out during polling in a national election on Sunday, alleging vote rigging, local media said.

Nearly 287 candidates had contested the election from the opposition group led by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

Bangladesh's Election Commission told Reuters it was investigating allegations of vote rigging coming from across the country.

A source in the opposition said many candidates pulled out individually but that the group's final decision would be announced later in the day. Vote counting has already begun and results are expected to be clear by Monday morning.

(Reporting by Serajul Quadir and Ruma Paul; editing by David Stamp)