Election Commissioner (EC) Brigadier General (retd) Abul Fazal Muhammad Sanaullah. File Photo

DHAKA, Feb 10, 2026 (BSS) - A total of 2,028 candidates of 50 political parties and independent candidates are participating in 299 constituencies in the 13th national parliamentary elections scheduled for February 12.

Of those, 81 are women candidates, said Election Commissioner (EC) Brigadier General (retd) Abul Fazal Muhammad Sanaullah in a press briefing at Nirbachon Bhaban at Agargaon here this afternoon. 
 
The 13th national parliamentary elections and referendum will be held in 299 constituencies across the country as the elections in the Sherpur-3 constituency have been postponed due to death of a candidate.
 
The vote will be held through the ballot paper by using transparent ballot box from 7.30 am to 4.30pm.

But the voters will be allowed to cast their votes after 4.30pm if they remains waiting inside the surroundings of the poll centers.

 The polling will be held at 42,958 centers–where physical vote will be held at 42,659 centers and postal vote counting will be held at 299 centers. 
“We are considering approximately 50 percent as normal polling centers while the rest 50 percent are ‘vulnerabler”, EC Sanaullah told the briefing.

Country’s total voters are over 12.77 crore. Of them, male voters are 6.48 crore and female voters are over 6.28 crore.

So far, 9700 media workers have been registered with the EC while 156 foreign journalists are expected to watch the elections.