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JS polls, referendum preparations complete: EC Anwarul
Election Commissioner Md Anwarul Islam Sarker has said that all preparations of the Election Commission (EC) for the 13th Jatiya Sangsad (JS) Elections and Referendum, scheduled for February 12, have been completed.
"Now there is no preparation left except for the voters to go to the polling stations and exercise their right to vote," he told BSS in an interview.
He noted that ballot papers have not yet reached some constituencies but assured that the process will be completed within the next few days.
On security measures, the Commissioner said the highest number of law enforcement personnel in the country's history has been deployed to ensure peaceful elections. "Such a large-scale deployment has never been seen before," he added, while confirming that no major problems have been reported so far.
According to EC sources, ballot papers for the JS elections and referendum have already reached 116 constituencies, with the remaining to be covered by February 7.
EC Secretariat Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed explained that ballots had to be reprinted in some constituencies following last-minute court orders reinstating candidates, causing minor delays. He expressed confidence that all ballots would reach their destinations on time.
As part of the security plan, the army will be remain in the field for seven days before and after the polls, while Ansar members will be on duty for eight days. Police forces are already deployed, with partial army presence in place.
In addition, 1,050 executive magistrates will be on duty from February 8 to 14 to operate mobile courts, while judicial magistrates will also serve during the same period.
The EC has confirmed that 12,77,11,793 voters are registered for the JS polls and referendum, including 6,48,25,361 men, 6,28,85,200 women, and 1,232 transgender voters.
Jhalakati-1 constituency has the lowest number of voters at 228,431, while Gazipur-2 has the highest at 843,333.
A total of 2,034 candidates are contesting across 300 constituencies, though voting in Sherpur-3 has been canceled following the death of a Jamaat-e-Islami candidate.
Fifty-one political parties are participating, with BNP fielding the highest number of candidates at 288. Nine registered parties have not fielded any candidates, while more than 250 independents are in the race.
Voting will take place in 42,779 polling stations nationwide, comprising 247,482 individual booths. Dhaka-12 has the highest number of candidates at 15, while Pirojpur-1 has the lowest with just 2.
About 800,000 officials will be engaged in election duties, supported by 900,000 law enforcement personnel.
Observer participation will also be significant, with 55,454 observers from 81 domestic organizations and around 500 foreign observers monitoring the polls.
Meanwhile, 15,33,684 voters have registered for postal voting, including 772,546 expatriates and 761,138 voters residing inside the country. Of them, 480,416 expatriates have already completed voting, reports BSS.