As the country moves closer to its 13th parliamentary election, a surge of misinformation across digital platforms is raising serious concerns about the integrity of the electoral environment, public order and political stability.
Fact-checking organisations warn that political misinformation now accounts for more than half of all false content circulating in the country. The volume and intensity of misleading material—much of it produced or amplified using artificial intelligence (AI)—are increasing as polling day approaches. Yet critics argue that the Election Commission (EC) has so far failed to take visible, effective action to curb the trend.
According to data from fact-checking organisation Rumor Scanner Bangladesh, between 1 January and 22 December this year, at least 4,000 false or misleading claims were identified nationwide. Of these, 2,106 cases (53%) were political in nature, while 279 cases (13% of political misinformation) were directly linked to the election.
The situation has intensified in recent months. Rumor Scanner found that 188 election-related misinformation cases—67% of the total—were detected between October and December alone, underscoring a sharp escalation ahead of the polls.
Another fact-checking platform, Dismislab, reports similar findings. Between July and September, nearly 63% of all fact-checked content in Bangladesh was related to politics. Of these, 66% of false information spread via video, a format increasingly exploited through AI-generated and manipulated visuals.
Parties and leaders targeted
Rumor Scanner’s analysis shows that BNP has been the most frequent target, with 588 instances of misinformation, including 64 involving the party’s acting chairman Tarique Rahman.
Jamaat-e-Islami follows closely, with 534 misinformation cases, 40 of which targeted party chief Shafiqur Rahman. Meanwhile, 237 cases involved National Citizen Party.
Fact-checkers note that false narratives are often designed to inflame communal sentiment, damage political reputations or manipulate voter perceptions through fabricated quotes, doctored videos and misleading photo cards.
A case that sparked nationwide fallout
One of the most prominent recent examples centres on the Dhaka-8 parliamentary constituency, following the shooting of Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of Inquilab Moncho and a potential independent candidate.
Within hours of Hadi being shot, social media platforms were flooded with rumours, speculative claims and unverified allegations. Political parties traded blame, accelerating the spread of misleading content. Even after Hadi died on 18 December, the misinformation continued.
The fallout escalated further when rumours linked to the killing triggered attacks and arson at two media outlets, intensifying tensions on the ground.
At the same time, a case was filed against an online news portal, Daily Ajker Kantho, accused of publishing a false report titled “Osman Hadi shot by Mirza Abbas’s cadres”. The plaintiff alleged that the report was entirely fabricated and intended to damage BNP candidate Mirza Abbas’s reputation and election campaign.
Additional misinformation circulated online claimed that Tk 127 crore had been transacted through Islamic Bank in connection with the killing—an allegation later identified as false. Similar misleading claims were also spread targeting Jamaat-e-Islami.
Fabricated claims and AI-generated content
Fact-checkers from Dismislab and Rumor Scanner identified a series of viral falsehoods circulating online in recent weeks. These included claims that Mamunul Haque had been removed from all posts at Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish because of an alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami, and that Jamaat, if it came to power, would enforce Pakistani laws or cancel Victory Day. Other widely shared claims alleged that Tk 127 crore had been laundered through Islamic Bank in connection with the killing of Osman Hadi.
Additional misinformation falsely attributed statements to senior officials, including claims that the chief election commissioner had said he wanted a “mirror-clean” election with the participation of all political parties, and that the chief adviser had stated no national election would be held in 2026. Another false claim alleged that Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Parwar had threatened that Hindus would not be allowed to live in Bangladesh if they did not vote for Jamaat.
Fact-checkers said several of these claims were disseminated through AI-generated photo cards and manipulated videos, some of which impersonated religious scholars and political figures to enhance credibility and emotional impact.
Dismislab also flagged fabricated statements attributed to BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman regarding the proportional representation (PR) system, along with false claims of a Jamaat–Awami League alliance on PR reforms. In addition, the organisation identified AI-generated sermons that falsely discouraged voters from supporting Jamaat-e-Islami.
Experts warn of growing risks
Tanvir Mahatab Abir, senior fact-checker at Rumor Scanner, told TIMES of Bangladesh that political misinformation is increasing at an alarming rate.
He urged EC to launch awareness campaigns for political parties, provide media literacy training for candidates, and issue clear guidelines on how to respond quickly when misinformation emerges. He also stressed the importance of amplifying fact-checkers’ findings through mainstream media to counter false narratives effectively.
EC’s response under scrutiny
EC has long expressed concern over misinformation, disinformation, social media manipulation and AI misuse. Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin recently described AI abuse as a “modern threat potentially more dangerous than weapons.”
On the day the election schedule was announced, the CEC warned that AI-driven falsehoods and misogynistic campaigns were eroding democratic values and poll integrity. He cautioned that sharing false information is itself a punishable offence under existing laws.
Despite these statements, 17 days after the schedule announcement, observers say there is little visible action on the ground.
The commission has announced the formation of a misinformation monitoring cell, which is set to operate for seven days in total—four days before polling, election day itself, and two days after. The cell is expected to include representatives from EC, relevant ministries, Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) and law enforcement agencies.
However, sources say that roles, responsibilities and operational procedures have yet to be finalised, even as election-related misinformation continues to spread.
Limited scope, critics say
EC has also amended its Code of Conduct, incorporating recommendations from the Election System Reform Commission. Under Article 16, the dissemination of AI-generated false, misleading, biased, hateful or obscene content has been prohibited.
Yet EC Additional Secretary KM Ali Newaz clarified that the commission would act only on election-related misinformation, such as false claims attributed to the EC, fabricated announcements about polling dates, fake statements about candidate disqualifications, or misinformation involving election officials.
“General political misinformation does not fall under our jurisdiction,” he said, adding that TikTok has agreed to cooperate with EC, while engagement with Meta platforms has not yet taken place.
Election Commissioner Md Anwarul Islam Sarker acknowledged that misinformation would intensify in the coming days. He said a joint task force involving multiple agencies is working continuously to counter the problem, though identifying content through Meta’s systems remains time-consuming.
BNP urges stronger action
BNP has separately raised concerns with CEC over AI-driven misinformation on social media.
Party Standing Committee member Nazrul Islam Khan said the misuse of AI and digital technology poses a threat to society, civilisation and development. He urged EC to take a strong and proactive stance against defamatory and misleading campaigns.
While acknowledging that completely stopping misinformation is a time-consuming process, he argued that rapid fact-checking and prompt identification of fake content could significantly reduce its harmful impact. The party also called for legal action against those responsible for spreading election-related falsehoods.
