Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah has confirmed that journalists and election observers will be allowed to carry mobile phones inside polling stations on the day of the referendum and parliamentary elections.
Speaking to reporters after inspecting the result booths at the Election Bhaban in Agargaon, Dhaka, on Monday, Sanaullah said, “Journalists and observers with mobile phones will not face any issues accessing polling stations.”
Earlier, the Election Commission had issued a directive prohibiting the carrying and use of mobile phones within a 400-yard radius of polling stations on election day.
A letter signed by Senior Assistant Secretary of the Election Commission Secretariat Md Shahidul Islam was sent to the returning officers on Sunday regarding the matter.
According to the EC’s directive, only three categories of personnel were initially permitted to carry mobile phones inside polling stations: the presiding officer of the station, the police officer responsible for security, and two Ansar members tasked with using the ‘Election Security 2026’ app.
The directive was sent to 69 returning officers, including the divisional commissioners of Dhaka and Chattogram, district commissioners from all 64 districts, and the regional election officers of Dhaka, Chattogram, and Khulna, with instructions to ensure its proper implementation.
Following this decision, concerns were raised within the journalistic community regarding the ban on mobile phones for journalists and candidates within the 400-yard perimeter of polling stations.
In response, the Reporters Forum for Election and Democracy (RFED) met with EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed to protest the ban on journalists carrying mobile phones inside polling stations.
