As the nation is set for an election festivity with 13th National Parliament elections draw near, the Election Commission (EC) in full swing is working to complete all necessary preparations for a participatory, free, fair, and neutral polls.
The extensive administrative framework, from the capital to the grassroots, has reached its final stage of readiness as the EC said, “All arrangements for the election are complete, now it awaits the people’s participation.”
According to EC sources, the tentative schedule for the elections is set for the first half of February next year. Key preparatory tasks, such as updating the voter list, finalizing polling stations, redrawing constituency boundaries, training of the election officials, and revising electoral regulations, are nearly complete.
Talking to BSS, Election Commissioner Anwarul Islam Sarkar said, “We aim to hold a festive, impartial, and widely accepted election. To that end, we are ensuring comprehensive administrative, technical, and legal preparedness.”
He added that the voter list and central database have been fully updated. This year, approximately 2.5 million new voters have been registered, with women accounting for 52 percent of the additions.
According to the latest information from the EC, the total number of voters in the country is 12,63,7,504. Male voters are 6,41,00,455 while female voters are 6,22,05,819 and third gender voters are 1,230.
To hold the election, a total of 42,761 polling centers and 244,649 polling booths have been designated across the country. Of the total, 115,137 polling booths have been set up for men while 129,602 for women.
“Our preparations are 90 to 95 percent complete. Cent percent preparation will be completed only after the registration of political parties and observer organizations is finalized,” said Akhtar Ahmed, Senior Secretary of the EC secretariat.
He said that 18 task forces have been formed to complete the commission’s work on time, each of which is working on a specific responsibility – some on logistics, some on IT or security.
As part of the preparations, the amendment of the code of conduct, updating the Representation of the People Order (RPO), training of election officials and planning for the use of technology are also almost complete, he added.
According to the revised RPO 2025, the “no vote” has been reinstated this time, while the obligation to use EVMs has been abolished and the disclosure of information related to the candidate’s assets, income and taxes has been made mandatory, said the Senior Secretary.
In addition, he continued, the use of banking channels for donations has been made mandatory, while the candidacy of absconding accused has been barred from contesting in the election, and the election deposit has been increased from Taka 20,000 to Taka 50,000.
