The Election Commission has reversed its decision to ban mobile phones inside and around polling centres, following criticism from journalists, political parties and civil society groups. Under revised guidelines, voters, candidates, their agents and journalists will now be allowed to carry mobile phones into polling stations, although taking photographs inside the voting booth will remain strictly prohibited.
The announcement was made on Monday evening by EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed at a press briefing. He said the earlier restriction had caused “confusion and widespread debate”, prompting the commission to amend its directive.
Earlier, the commission had imposed a sweeping ban on carrying mobile phones within a 400-yard radius of polling centres during parliamentary elections and referendum. Only presiding officers, officers-in-charge of police, on-duty Ansar members and two Ansar personnel using the “Election Security 2026” app were exempted. The move drew strong criticism from journalist organisations, opposition parties and election observers, who argued that the restriction undermined transparency.
Reporters Forum for Election and Democracy, a body representing journalists covering elections, held a meeting with the EC secretary and demanded the withdrawal of the ban. According to the group, the secretary assured them that the directive would be reviewed.
At Monday’s briefing, Ahmed clarified that while voters, candidates, agents and journalists may carry phones, polling officers, assistant presiding officers and polling agents will still not be permitted to do so. He reiterated that photography inside the secret voting booth would remain banned under all circumstances.
Political pressure also mounted throughout the day. A delegation from an 11-party alliance led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami met chief election commissioner in the afternoon, urging the commission to withdraw what they described as an alarming and unnecessary restriction. Jamaat-e-Islami assistant secretary general Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair later said that while the ban had been lifted, the commission must issue clear and detailed guidelines on mobile phone use to prevent confusion and arbitrary enforcement at polling stations.
Leaders from other groups echoed similar concerns. Islami Andolan Bangladesh said it opposed the 400-yard restriction, while Dhaka University Central Students’ Union vice-president Sadik Kayem described the original decision as “undemocratic” and called for its immediate withdrawal during a separate meeting with the chief election commissioner.
