Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today expressed her firm optimism of Awami League' s victory in the next election and the development spree will continue through it.

"Insha Allah the 'boat' (AL's election symbol) will be victorious and the development spree of the country will keep on," she told a mammoth public rally in Khulna this afternoon.

Sheikh Hasina added: "We will build a poverty-and hunger-free Bangladesh by elevating its status as a middle income country by 20121 and a developed one by 2041."

Awami League's Khulna city and district units arranged the rally at the local Circuit House Maidan with its district unit president Sheikh Md Harun-or-Rashid in the chair. AL Joint Secretaries Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif, Dr Dipu Moni and Jahangir Kabir Nanak, Organizing Secretary BM Mozammel Haque, Sheikh Helal Uddin, MP, and former mayor of Khulna Talukdar Abdul Kahleq spoke at the rally, among others.

Sheikh Hasina also the Awami League president said the country witnessed development campaign over the past nine years as the people gave mandate to Awami League while she urged them give their verdict so the party could retain the responsibility to keep up the spree.

"Do you want to keep up the continuation of development in the country? If you want it then you will have to give vote to the Awami League," she said while the mammoth crowd raised their hands in a gesture of their supports with huge applause.

The premier said her government aimed to advance and develop the country further.

"The people achieved independence and rights to speak in the mother language by casting vote for Awami League," she said.