Bangladesh Flags Over 50% Polling Centres As ‘Risk-Prone’; 90% Under CCTV Cover For National Vote

More than half of Bangladesh’s polling centres have been identified as “risk-prone” ahead of Thursday’s general elections and referendum, prompting what officials describe as the largest-ever deployment of law enforcement personnel and the most extensive use of technology in the country’s electoral history.

Police Inspector General Baharul Alam said 24,000 of nearly 43,000 polling centres across the country were categorised as “high” or “moderate” risk-prone stations. In Dhaka alone, 1,614 of the 2,131 polling centres were identified as risk-prone, according to a list provided by police to the Election Commission (EC). However, the army, in a separate media briefing, said it had identified two centres in Dhaka city as “risky”.

Election Commissioner Abul Fazal Mohammad Sanaullah said the EC’s security deployment was based on a detailed assessment of local conditions. “Security deployment is being made based on local sensitivity assessments,” he told a media briefing late Tuesday.

Massive security deployment across country

Nearly 958,000 law enforcement personnel have been deployed nationwide to ensure what the EC described as a free, fair and impartial national election and referendum.

“Additionally, for the first time, UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), drones, and body-worn cameras are being used for election security,” Brigadier General (Retd.) Abul Fazal Md. Sanaullah said at a press briefing at Nirbachan Bhaban in Agargaon.

He added, “For the first time, UAVs, drones, and body-worn cameras are being used for law enforcement. Around 25,000 body-worn cameras will be deployed on the field. Some of these are IP-based for live feed, while others will record locally. Moreover, for continuous monitoring, CCTV cameras have already been installed in over 90% of centres.”

A total of 2,098 executive magistrates and 657 judicial magistrates will be on duty during the polls.

Sanaullah said the EC expected law enforcement agencies to ensure a peaceful atmosphere during and after polling. He added that the Commission was largely satisfied with the current situation and “compared to any time in the past, we are in a better position now”.

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Voting in 299 constituencies

Voting will be held in 299 constituencies on Thursday, with polling in Sherpur-3 postponed following the death of a candidate. Voting will take place from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm, though voters present within polling centres by 4:30 pm will be allowed to cast their ballots.

In total, 42,659 polling centres have been set up across the country.

According to EC data, first-time voters account for about 3.58 per cent of the 127,700,597 registered voters.

The elections are being held simultaneously with a referendum on an 84-point reform package. The main contest is between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its former ally Jamaat-e-Islami.

Chief adviser Muhammad Yunus’ interim government last year disbanded former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League and barred it from contesting the polls.

Hasina’s Awami League government was ousted on August 5, 2024, following a student-led violent street protest known as the July Uprising.

BNP seen as frontrunner

A series of pre-poll surveys conducted over the past two months by consulting firms, research organisations and think tanks indicate that the BNP is the frontrunner, with its new chairman Tarique Rahman seen as the leading contender for the post of prime minister.

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