A festive mood with enthusiasm of people has engulfed the Barishal centering arrival of the Awami League President and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as she was visiting here after a recess of five-year.

Pinning upon the visit, the entire Barishal region wore a festive mood while the local people as well as leaders and workers of the ruling Awami League and associate bodies cheered up due to arrival of their party chief ahead of the 12th national parliamentary polls.

Sheikh Hasina will address an election rally at the historic Bangabandhu Udyan in the divisional headquarters.

Centering the public rally, Barishal turned into a town of euphoria. The town decorated in festive looks while people of all strata of life as well as leaders and activists of Awami League became enthusiastic.

Arrival of Sheikh Hasina created has ancillary excitement among the leaders and activists not only in Barishal but also the entire region ahead of the national polls.

Although the premier was scheduled to join the rally at 3pm, but hundreds of thousands of people throng into the rally ground from early morning and within few hours the ground became full to the brim as a good number of people were seen took position around the ground in the night to secure their place.

The crowd then spilled over the surrounding areas, roads and empty places, meaning the town turned into a human sea before arrival of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on the stage which was made in the shape of a boat.

Earlier from the morning, mass people, women and supporters were seen marching towards the venue in procession chanting slogans "Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu" and holding colourful placards, banners, festoons, wearing colourful T-shirts, cap on heads, head bands, drums, election symbol boat as well as national and party flags.

Women in large and small groups as well as individually waited at the queue in the gate with smiling faces to enter the venue.

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.

Earlier, the AL President started her journey at 9am by road from her official Ganabhaban residence in Dhaka for Barishal to join the rally.

From Barishal, the premier will go to Tungipara.

On Saturday, she has scheduled to address rallies in Tungipara and Kotalipara, and then her way back to Dhaka will address another rally at Kalkini in Madaripur.

On the occasion of 12th parliamentary election, the Awami League President kicked off her party's election campaign from Sylhet-I constituency following the tradition and Ziarat of shrines of Hazrat Shahjalal (RA) and Hazrat Shah Paran (RA).

On December 28, the Awami League President virtually addressed six election rallies in Jamalpur, Sherpur, Kishoreganj, Narsingdi, Chandpur and Bandarban districts together from the party's Tejgaon office.

She visited Rangpur on December 26 and addressed election rallies in Taraganj, Mithapukur and Pirganj upazilas.

On December 23, she held election rallies virtually in six districts - -at Public Library Filed in Kushtia, Wazir Ali School and College Field in Jhenaidah, Satkhira Government High School in Satkhira, Zilla Stadium in Netrokona, and Sheikh Russell Stadium in Rangamati district as well as Bamna and Patharghata upazilas in Barguna districts--from Bangladesh Awami League Office.

On December 21, she also held election rallies in five districts --Panchagarh, Lalmonirhat, Natore, Pabna and Khagracchari -- through a virtual platform from Awami League Office at Tejgaon.

Awami League sources said that the party chief is scheduled to conclude her election campaign through a rally in Narayanganj on January 4.