Election Commissioner Brigadier General (Retd.) Abul Fazal Md. Sanaullah today spoke at a press briefing on overall election preparations at Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital's Agargaon. Photo: BSS

DHAKA, Feb 10, 2026 (BSS) - Election Commissioner Brigadier General (Retd.) Abul Fazal Md. Sanaullah today said nearly 958,000 law enforcement personnel have been deployed across the country to ensure a free, fair and impartial national election and referendum on Thursday.

"Additionally, for the first time, UAVs (Unmanned Aerial Vehicles), drones, and body-worn cameras are being used for election security," he told a press briefing on overall election preparations at Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital's Agargaon.

He said voting will be held in 299 constituencies on Thursday. Voting in Sherpur-3 has been postponed due to the death of a candidate there. 

A total of 2,098 executive magistrates and 657 judicial magistrates will discharge duties in the election filed.

Highlighting the officials responsible for conducting the election, Sanaullah said 69 returning officers and 598 assistant returning officers will serve in the election. 

The main responsibility for voting lies with 42,779 presiding officers, 247,482 assistant presiding officers, and 494,964 polling officers. In total, 785,225 officials will perform election duties, he said.

Regarding the announcement of results and the role of returning officers, he said after counting, a result will be released from the polling center. Subsequently, through an official process and the signature of the assistant returning officer, it will go to the Election Commission through the returning officer, he said adding the final result will then be announced from the commission's result announcement stage.

He added, "Although unofficial results from each center are announced first, returning officers will record them in 'Form 18' in the presence of candidates or their agents. The gazette will later be published based on this."

The Election Commissioner said, "For the first time, UAVs, drones, and body-worn cameras are being used for law enforcement. Around 25,000 body-worn cameras will be deployed on the field. Some of these are IP-based for live feed, while others will record locally. Moreover, for continuous monitoring, CCTV cameras have already been installed in over 90% of centers."

He said voting will continue from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm. However, voters present within the polling center by 4:30 pm will still be allowed to vote.

He said voting will be held in a total of 42,659 centers. 

Regarding the counting procedure for the parliamentary election and referendum, the commissioner said, "Results for the parliamentary election and referendum will be announced simultaneously. Both ballots will also be counted together at the centers. The white ballot is for the parliamentary election, and the pink ballot is for the referendum. This simultaneous counting ensures that agents do not leave prematurely or cause unrest outside after the national election results are announced."

Sanaullah expressed satisfaction with the current law and order situation and called upon parties, candidates and voters to cast their votes in a friendly and festive environment.