Zakir Hossain / Dhaka
Bangladesh will deploy over 80,000 army personnel alongside police, Rapid Action Battalion, Border Guard Bangladesh and other forces during the upcoming national election to ensure security, Home Affairs Adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters after inspecting a polling centre in Dhaka-3 constituency, Chowdhury said each polling station will now have three Ansar members— two unarmed and one armed— to protect presiding officers. “All want a peaceful election. We’re making all possible strides to hold the next election in a free, fair, peaceful, and festive manner,” he said.
The adviser also announced separate polling booths for young voters to boost participation, in addition to gender-segregated booths. “To increase the participation of young voters and attract them, each polling centre will have a separate booth for them,” he said.
Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus has already announced that the 13th parliamentary election will be held in February 2026, before Ramadan. Following a formal request from Yunus’ office, Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin said polls would take place in the first half of February.
On Sunday, the Election Commission released a supplementary draft voter list showing Bangladesh has 12,61,70,900 registered voters as of June 30. The final list will be published on August 31.
Chowdhury said law enforcement agencies have been instructed to undergo special training for election duties. “The Ministry of Home Affairs began election preparations well in advance,” he added.