JS polls, referendum preparations completed: Anwarul Islam

Election Commissioner Md Anwarul Islam Sarker has said that the Election Commission (EC) has completed all preparations for the 13th Jatiya Sangsad (JS) elections and the referendum scheduled for February 12.

“Nothing remains to be done now except for voters to go to polling stations and exercise their franchise,” he told BSS in an interview.

He acknowledged that ballot papers have yet to reach a few constituencies but said distribution would be completed within the next few days.

Regarding security, the commissioner said a record number of law enforcement personnel has been deployed to ensure a peaceful election. “Such a massive deployment has never occurred before,” he said, adding that no major security issues have been reported so far.

EC sources said ballot papers for the JS polls and referendum have already been delivered to 116 constituencies, with distribution to the remaining constituencies expected to be completed by February 7.

EC Secretariat Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said ballot reprinting was required in some constituencies due to last-minute court orders reinstating candidates, leading to minor delays. He, however, expressed confidence that all ballots would reach their destinations on time.

Under the security plan, the army will remain deployed for seven days before and after polling day, while Ansar members will be on duty for eight days. Police have already been deployed, with partial army deployment currently in place.

Additionally, 1,050 executive magistrates will operate mobile courts from February 8 to 14, alongside judicial magistrates serving during the same period.

The EC said a total of 12,77,11,793 voters are registered for the JS elections and referendum, including 6,48,25,361 men, 6,28,85,200 women, and 1,232 transgender voters.

Jhalakati-1 has the lowest number of voters at 228,431, while Gazipur-2 has the highest with 843,333 voters.

Overall, 2,034 candidates are contesting in 300 constituencies, although voting in Sherpur-3 has been canceled following the death of a Jamaat-e-Islami candidate.

Fifty-one political parties are taking part in the polls, with BNP fielding the largest number of candidates at 288. Nine registered parties have not nominated any candidates, while more than 250 independents are contesting.

Voting will be held at 42,779 polling stations across the country, with a total of 247,482 booths. Dhaka-12 has the highest number of candidates at 15, while Pirojpur-1 has the fewest, with just two.

Around 800,000 officials will be engaged in election duties, supported by about 900,000 law enforcement personnel.

Observer presence will also be substantial, with 55,454 observers from 81 domestic organizations and around 500 foreign observers monitoring the elections.

Meanwhile, 15,33,684 voters have registered for postal voting, including 772,546 expatriates and 761,138 voters residing within the country. Of them, 480,416 expatriates have already cast their votes.