<div style="text-align: justify; "><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">The southern riverine district of Barishal has been in a festive mood marking the visit of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her first to the area in five years.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Hasina, the president of ruling Awami League, is visting Barishal as part of her campaign tour ahead of January 7 general election.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Thousands of AL leaders, including party's candidates and actvists, shouted slogans in favour of its election symbol, boat, as the party chief arrived here in the morning.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Hasina will address an election rally at the historic Bangabandhu Udyan in the divisional headquarters.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Decorated with banners, posters and flags the city welcomed the PM.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Although the premier was scheduled to join the rally at 3.00pm, hundreds of thousands of people thronged packed into the rally ground since early morning.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Within a few hours the ground filled to the brim as a good number of people were seen taking position around the ground overnight to secure their places.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The crowd then spilled over the surrounding areas, roads and empty places long before she was to take the stage made after the shape of a boat.&nbsp; &nbsp;</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Since early morning, a stream of people, including women, were seen marching towards the venue chanting slogans “Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu” and holding colourful placards, banners and festoons. Many of them wearing colourful T-shirts, cap on heads, head bands with drums, election symbol boat as well as national and party flags.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Women in large and small groups waited in queues outside the entrance to the venue with smiling faces.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Leaders and followers of Awami League and its associates bodies from different districts of Barishal division as well as adjoining districts joined the rally with a fleet of boats, reserve buses, pickups, motorcycles while many were seen joining the rally on foot.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Earlier, the prime minister started at 9am by road from her official residence Dhaka for Barishal to join the rally.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">From Barishal, the premier will go to Tungipara, her birth place.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">On Saturday she has schedule to address two rallies in Tungipara and Kotalipara, and then on her way back to Dhaka she will address another rally at Kalkini in Madaripur. UNB</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>