BNP central election steering committee spokesperson and adviser to the BNP chairman Mahdi Amin at the press briefing. Photo: BSS

DHAKA, Feb 7, 2026 (BSS) - BNP central election steering committee spokesperson and adviser to the BNP chairman Mahdi Amin today urged the Election Commission (EC) to identify female polling agents with law and regulations.

He said, "It must be ensured that an adequate number of female polling officers are appointed in the women's booths of every polling center, and voter identification must be effectively completed by unveiling the face in accordance with the law and regulations."

Mahdi Amin made the remarks at a press conference held at the BNP's Election Steering Committee office in Gulshan of the city.

"We have seen before that one political party has gone house to house collecting NID and bKash numbers. Due to these incidents, there is no room to dismiss the fear of fake votes," he said.

He added, "We have even received information about preparations for printing extra ballots. We saw that members of law enforcement agencies conducted a raid at the house of a leader of that very party in Sutrapur, Old Dhaka of the capital, and recovered 152 cricket stumps. So, are they preparing to carry out nationwide violence during the election? If so, I believe surveillance on this matter needs to be increased."

Without naming any party, Mahdi Amin also alleged that a political party is systematically preparing for election engineering. A large number of burqas and niqabs have been prepared for the purpose of casting fake votes.

Certain institutions in the name of observers are associated with a particular political party, Mahdi Amin said, adding, "Another serious matter that has come to our attention is that there are various irregularities in appointing observers for the upcoming election."

He said that a name-only organization called People's Association for Social Advancement (PASA) has received approval to appoint the highest number of observers for the election. Out of a total of 55,454 local observers, PASA alone has 10,559. Although in reality, a single room in a house in a village in Habiganj is this organization's so-called office and the manpower consists of just one person, which has already been revealed in the media. 

"We had previously informed the Election Commission that several institutions in the name of observers are associated with a particular political party. We believe these matters are obstacles to holding a fair election," he added.

Mahdi Amin further said that they once again call upon the Election Commission and the interim government to take necessary measures to ensure a 'level playing field' for a free, fair, and impartial election.