Authorities deployed 75,000 soldiers and security forces to prevent clashes between supporters and opponents the strike coinciding with the polls, which also were staggered over three days beginning today.

The strike that halted most traffic and shut down business and schools in Bangladesh capital Dhaka and other main cities has been called by the mainstream opposition led by former prime minister Khaleda Zia.

The opposition has been campaigning for the ouster of Bangladesh's top election official Mohammad Abu Hena, accusing him of supporting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's governing Awami League.

An anti-hartal rally taken out here was disrupted when a bomb attack led to death of a leader of the Rickshaw Sramik League. The pro-government activist,Nurul Huq, died on the spot, while seven other sustained serious injuries.

The clash at the capital took place at Matijheel commercial area around 1130 hrs (local time). Several powerful bombs were hurled at the anti-hartal procession sponsored by Awami League activists.

Defying the hartal call, voting began at 8 am (local time) for 54 municipalities which went to the polls yesterday. Altogether 136 municipalities will elect 136 chairmen, 1,296 general commissioners and 432 women commissioners in the three-day polling to be completed by tomorrow and Thursday.

Clashes were reported from the southern and eastern districts of Chittagong, Comilla, Narsingdi and Khagrachari. At a picketing in central Dhaka this morning, police arrested aright wing leader Shafiul Alam Pradhan.Besides the BNP led by Khaleda zia, other parties which have joined the agitation are the Jatita Party of former president H M Ershad and the fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami. These outfits are also boycotting the non-party polls.

PrimeMinister Sheikh Hasina asked people to exercise franchise ignoring the hartal. ``This (strike) is aimed at dislodging my (three-year-old) government and protect the self-confessed killers of the country's founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,'' he said.

A court gave death sentence to 15 self-confessed killers, mostly retired army officers last December. They appealed to the high court against their death sentence by Dhaka district and sessions court.