Bangladesh will go to the polls on Thursday for the 13th National Parliamentary Election and the accompanying referendum, with voting scheduled from 7:30am to 4:30pm across 299 constituencies.
Voting in Sherpur-3 has been cancelled due to the death of a candidate, leaving 299 of the 300 constituencies in the running.
Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud said that extensive preparations and security arrangements have been put in place to ensure a free, fair and peaceful election. Nearly 9 lakh law enforcement personnel, including over 1 lakh army troops, have been deployed nationwide.
He said the law-and-order situation remains normal and urged voters to attend polling stations in groups and cast their votes in a festive atmosphere.
Abdur Rahmanel Masud also expressed optimism, noting that many citizens have not had the opportunity to vote for years, and called on young voters to actively participate in shaping the nation’s future.
Election Commissioner Md Anwarul Islam Sarkar confirmed that all administrative, technical and security measures have been completed. About 42,779 polling centres and 2,47,482 polling rooms will facilitate voting for the 12.77 crore registered voters, including 6.48 crore men, 6.29 crore women and 1,232 third-gender ones.
A total of 2,028 candidates are contesting the election, representing 50 political parties, while 273 are independent candidates. BNP has fielded the largest number of candidates at 291. There are 83 female candidates in the race.
Approximately 8 lakh officials, including 69 returning officers, 598 assistant returning officers and nearly 5 lakh polling officers, will oversee the election. About 15,000 officials will manage postal voting.
Security measures include deployment of 9,58,000 personnel from various agencies, with UAVs, drones, and body-worn cameras being used for the first time. The deployment includes 1,03,000 army troops, 3,500 air force personnel, 5,000 navy members, 37,453 Border Guard Bangladesh personnel, 3,585 Coast Guard members, 1,87,603 police, 9,349 RAB, 5,67,868 Ansar members and 1,922 BNCC personnel.
To ensure election law compliance, 2,098 executive magistrates and 657 judicial magistrates will be on duty from 10 to 14 February. Observers include 55,454 from 81 local organisations and at least 394 international observers along with 197 foreign journalists.
International observers come from 21 countries, including the EU, Pakistan, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, Japan, South Korea, China, Iran, Russia and Nigeria. Key organisations include ANFREL, the Commonwealth Secretariat, IRI, NDI, OIC, ICAPP and the European External Action Service.
A total of 15,33,684 overseas and domestic voters are registered for postal voting through the Postal Vote BD app, with 7,72,546 expatriates and 7,61,138 local voters participating.
Voting will be conducted using ballot papers in transparent boxes. Voters present within polling station compounds after 4:30pm will still be allowed to cast their votes, in accordance with the law.
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