Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury has called on members of Bangladesh Ansar and the Village Defence Party (VDP) to carry out their duties with honesty, dedication and professionalism to help ensure a free, fair, peaceful and impartial 13th National Parliament election.
He made the remarks on Monday while addressing the passing-out parade of the 41st BCS (Ansar) officers, Upazila Ansar-VDP instructors, and the 26th and 27th batches of the Ansar Battalion at the Bangladesh Ansar and VDP Academy in Shafipur, Gazipur.
The adviser said more than 555,000 Ansar-VDP members will be deployed across 42,766 polling stations during the election, with 13 members assigned to each centre. Among them, three will be armed, six unarmed male members and four unarmed female members.
As part of strengthened security arrangements, one armed Ansar member will remain on duty alongside the presiding officer around the clock at each polling station. In addition, 1,191 Ansar Battalion striking force teams, comprising nearly 12,000 members, will be deployed nationwide to reinforce overall election security.
The home affairs adviser instructed Ansar-VDP members to strictly avoid any form of misconduct, bias or irresponsible behaviour that could disrupt or influence the electoral process.
He said that since August 2025, the Ansar and VDP have been making coordinated and systematic preparations to help create a peaceful and festive election environment.
Under a revised training policy, basic training has been provided to around 56,000 Upazila and Thana Company Ansars, 255,000 VDP and TDP members, and more than 3,000 Ansar Battalion personnel. He added that about 450,000 members have been registered for election duties through the Smart Training and Deployment Management System (STDMS).
Emphasising integrity, the adviser described corruption as the biggest enemy of the state, warning that it weakens institutions and erodes public trust. He urged newly trained members to begin their professional careers guided by ethics, honesty, efficiency and a service-orientated mindset.
He also said the interim government has taken steps to strengthen accountability through digital management systems, professional development, welfare initiatives, training programmes and infrastructural improvements. These measures, he added, would help transform Ansar and VDP into the country’s largest disciplined force.
The adviser highlighted the ‘Sanjeeban’ project, which aims to improve the socio-economic conditions of grassroots Ansar-VDP members. He said organisations such as the Ansar-VDP Welfare Trust, Ansar-VDP Unnayan Bank and Ansar-VDP Cooperative are playing a significant role in improving livelihoods for both members and the wider public.
Earlier, the home affairs adviser inspected the parade, took the salute and distributed awards among the best-performing trainees.
Assistant Director Shamim Reza of the 41st BCS Ansar Cadre, Upazila Trainer Sohanur Rahman Russell, Sepoy Md Selim Shahriar of the 26th batch and Sepoy Md Maruf Rana of the 27th batch were recognised as the best smart trainees in four categories.
A record 3,237 trainees took part in this year’s passing-out parade, the highest number in the history of the Ansar. They included 15 officers of the 41st BCS Ansar Cadre, 88 upazila trainers, 1,100 members of the 26th Ansar Battalion and 2,124 members of the 27th Ansar Battalion.
