Jatiotabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) on Sunday surrounded the Election Commission (EC) building in Agargaon, protesting what it described as political influence and biased decisions by the commission, particularly regarding postal ballots.
Hundreds of Chhatra Dal activists gathered in front of and around the Election Commission, positioning themselves outside the EC’s security cordon and chanting slogans. The program was led by Chhatra Dal President Rakibul Islam.
In response, law enforcement presence was strengthened in and around the EC premises. Members of the police, Navy, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and Ansar were deployed, while riot control vehicles and water cannons were placed near the building to maintain law and order.
Chhatra Dal said it surrounded the EC on three main grounds: what it termed biased and questionable decisions regarding postal ballots; alleged political interference in the commission’s decision-making process; and the issuance of what it called an unprecedented and controversial notification concerning the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology Student Union election, allegedly under the influence of a particular political party.
Addressing the protest, Chhatra Dal President Rakibul Islam alleged that a specific political group had exerted undue influence over postal ballots and that the EC had acted with its encouragement.
He claimed that despite reports of possible corrections, the commission’s actions had once again humiliated student organisations, similar to incidents surrounding student union and hall elections at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology.
He also criticised the postal ballot distribution process, likening it to letters being left at a common point in student dormitories for anyone to collect, claiming that around 160 ballots were kept in a single box and later distributed among expatriate voters.
The protest follows widespread discussion and criticism after a video showing a large number of postal ballots delivered to a single address in Bahrain went viral on social media.
In response to the controversy, the Election Commission clarified the matter on January 14. EC Secretariat Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said that postal ballots are sent through the Universal Postal Union and that postal systems differ across countries, particularly in the Middle East. He explained that in Bahrain, around 160 ballots were left in one place in a single box due to the local postal system.