Police in Bangladesh on Sunday said they had fired shotguns as they clashed with opposition activists who had set up a roadblock to protest voting in ongoing general elections.

Mokhlesur Rahman, a police deputy commissioner in the port city of Chittagong, said officers had "fired shotguns" to disperse up to 60 opposition members who had blocked a road using burning tires.

"No one is injured," Rahman told Agence France-Presse. "The situation is now under control."

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina labeled the main party boycotting the national elections a "terrorist organization" and said that she was trying to ensure her country remained democratic.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party is one of dozens of parties refusing to compete in the poll, saying it will neither be free nor fair.

"The BNP is a terrorist organization," she told waiting reporters after casting her vote moments after polls opened at the Dhaka City College, alongside her sister and daughter.

Hasina's opponents have called a weekend general strike and urged the public not to participate in what they have dubbed a "sham" election.

But the premier told reporters that the poll would be conducted fairly and urged the public to cast their votes.

"I am trying my best to ensure that democracy should continue in this country," Hasina said.

"The election will be free and fair," she added.