Dhaka [Bangladesh]: More than half of Bangladesh’s polling centres have been categorised as risk-prone ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections, prompting authorities to implement extensive security arrangements, including CCTV surveillance and body-worn cameras for police personnel.
Bangladesh is set to hold parliamentary elections on February 12, marking the first national polls since the removal of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina following nationwide protests in August 2024. Officials stated that the Election Commission has developed a security plan based on detailed risk assessments across the country.
Election Commissioner Abul Fazal Mohammad Sanaullah said security personnel deployment is being carried out according to local sensitivity evaluations. He expressed confidence that law enforcement agencies would ensure a peaceful voting environment during and after polling.
Authorities indicated that the elections will witness the largest-ever deployment of security forces and the widest use of technological surveillance in Bangladesh’s electoral history. Police Inspector General Baharul Alam revealed that approximately 24,000 out of nearly 43,000 polling centres have been identified as either high-risk or moderately risk-prone. In Dhaka alone, 1,614 out of 2,131 centres have been classified as sensitive locations, although the army has reportedly marked only two centres in the capital as highly risky.
Nearly 958,000 law enforcement personnel have been deployed nationwide to maintain order during the elections and the referendum scheduled alongside the voting process. For the first time, authorities are using unmanned aerial vehicles, drones, and body cameras to monitor election security. Around 25,000 body-worn cameras will be used, with some providing live feeds while others will record footage for later review. More than 90 per cent of polling centres have already been equipped with CCTV cameras to ensure continuous surveillance.
Voting will take place in 299 constituencies, with polling scheduled from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm. However, voters present inside polling centres by closing time will still be permitted to cast their votes. Voting in the Sherpur-3 constituency has been postponed following the death of a candidate. A total of 42,659 polling centres have been established for the election.
According to Election Commission data, first-time voters account for around 3.58 per cent of the total 127.7 million registered voters. The elections will be conducted alongside a referendum on an 84-point reform package. The main electoral contest is expected between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its former ally Jamaat-e-Islami.
The interim government led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus had dissolved the Awami League after Sheikh Hasina’s removal from power and barred the party from participating in the elections. Several recent opinion surveys conducted by research organisations and consulting groups suggest that the BNP is currently leading the race, with party chairman Tarique Rahman emerging as a strong contender for the prime minister’s position.
The Awami League government was overthrown following a student-led protest movement known as the July Uprising on August 5, 2024, which significantly reshaped Bangladesh’s political landscape.
