New Delhi, Aug. 20 -- Bangladesh's presidential election began on Thursday, with lawmakers casting votes to choose the country's 23rd president in the first contested race for the post in 35 years.

Voting is being held at the Jatiya Sangsad (parliament) and will remain open until 5 pm local time. A total of 349 lawmakers are eligible to vote in the open-ballot election.

The ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has fielded 78-year-old Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, while 84-year-old Colonel (retd) Oli Ahmed, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), is contesting as the candidate of the Jamaat-e-Islami-led 11-party opposition alliance.

The Election Commission is expected to declare the results after counting the votes and subse...