Defying initial concerns about potential violence, voting in the 13th parliamentary election and referendum was largely peaceful, with no major incidents, thanks to stringent measures enforced by law enforcement agencies. What had been feared to be a tense process instead unfolded in a vibrant, festive atmosphere.
With nearly nine lakh members of law enforcement agencies on duty, the voting process took place smoothly from 7:30am to 4:30pm on Thursday (12 February), with only a few isolated incidents across around 500 polling centres.
Voter turnout remained high and peaceful across all 299 constituencies, and the election process concluded without any casualties. Political parties, alliances, candidates, and the general public have all expressed satisfaction with the process.
In a statement on Thursday afternoon, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus congratulated the nation for the peaceful, orderly, and festive atmosphere of the election.
Home Adviser Mohammad Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, who visited various polling stations, also stated that the election was held smoothly and in a festive mood, thanks to everyone’s cooperation.
Isolated incidents at 486 polling stations
Violence and disorder were reported at 486 polling stations during the election day. In 59 instances, votes were cast illegally, while three separate incidents saw ballot boxes stolen.
According to the Ministry of Home Affairs’ emergency coordination cell, 14 polling stations had polling agents expelled by 2pm. Additionally, clashes broke out between supporters of various candidates at 135 locations nationwide.
In the chaos, ballot boxes were seized at three locations, six candidates were assaulted, and 59 incidents of voter fraud were recorded. There were 18 cases where voters were obstructed from casting their ballots, and fires were set at four polling stations. Moreover, 33 cases of negligence by election officials were reported.
In Tangail’s Ghatail constituency, an attack led to the theft of over 200 ballot papers. Two BNP members were arrested by law enforcement in connection with the incident. In the Sherepur-1 (Sadar) constituency, police recovered 53 ballots with the “Paddy Sheaf” symbol, along with three ballot books, from the Nalbaid South
Government Primary School polling station. One individual was arrested and sentenced to three years in prison.
In the Bhola-1 (Sadar) constituency, explosives were used to disrupt voting at the Alinagar School and College polling centre, where ballot papers were stolen. Voting was halted for nearly 90 minutes.
In the Comilla-10 constituency, assailants attempted to steal ballots and mark them at the Chouddadona
Government Primary School polling station. However, no tampered ballots were successfully placed in the ballot box, according to the presiding officer, Md Amjad Hossain.
In Lakshmipur, scattered clashes and attacks disrupted voting, leaving at least 12 people, including women, injured. Tensions over dominance between political factions led to separate violent incidents at several centres, including Bijoynagar High School and Municipal Shaheed Smriti Academy, as well as Adilpur Government Primary School.
In Bagerhat’s Sharankhola, clashes between BNP and Jamaat supporters resulted in 15 injuries, including two women. Ten of the injured were sent to Khulna Medical College Hospital for treatment, while others were admitted to the Sharankhola Upazila Health Complex.
In Rajshahi’s Puthia, a clash broke out between supporters of the “Paddy Sheaf” and independent football symbol candidates.
Of the 42,651 polling stations, over 40% were identified as high-risk due to various factors, yet no major incidents of disorder occurred.
The deployment of security forces was extensive, with 157,000 police officers, a specific number of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) members, 108,885 military personnel, 37,453 Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) officers, over 3,000 Coast Guard members, and 567,866 Ansar members active since Sunday.
To enhance security, police were equipped with 25,700 body-worn cameras. More than 90% of polling stations were equipped with CCTV cameras, while the Air Force deployed UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles) and drones to monitor the process.
