With only 37 days remaining before Bangladesh’s 13th national parliamentary election, law enforcement agencies have gone on the highest alert, identifying more than one-third of the country’s polling centers as risky and rolling out extensive security measures to ensure a peaceful vote.
According to Police Headquarters, 17,556 of the 42,761 polling centers nationwide have been marked as risky, with Dhaka recording the highest number. A further 8,746 have been marked as highly risky.
A total of 1,76,000 police personnel will be deployed across the country to maintain law and order during the election.
Inspector General of Police Baharul Alam has instructed field-level officers to give the election the highest priority and maintain law and order at any cost, directing them to take immediate and strict legal action in the event of any disorder.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sheikh Md Sazzat Ali said the next 37 days are “extremely important and challenging,” adding that maintaining law and order during this period would make it possible to hold a fair election.
Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud told Dhaka Tribune that the Election Commission is already prepared regarding risky polling centers and that the number of law enforcement personnel would be increased further if necessary.
Police Headquarters Additional Inspector General (Crime and Operations) Khandaker Rafiqul Islam told Dhaka Tribune that activities are being carried out according to specific plans to control the law and order situation and ensure a fair election.
“To control law and order and build public confidence, visible activities of law enforcement agencies have been increased,” he said. “Regular operations are underway against individuals or groups that may attempt to sabotage the election. At the same time, Operation Devil Hunt Phase-2 is continuing nationwide, and we are seeing positive results.”
He added that checkpoints have been increased across the country and drives to recover illegal firearms are ongoing.
Law enforcement agencies consider the pre-election period the most critical and challenging phase. Officials believe a fair election will be possible if the law and order situation can be kept under control over the next 37 days. As part of the effort, visible patrols have been intensified nationwide to boost public confidence.
Police said polling centers have been divided into three categories—highly risky, risky, and general—based on analysis of violence in previous elections and intelligence inputs, categorized by police ranges and metropolitan areas. Of the total centers, 8,746 have been marked as highly risky, 16,359 as risky, and 17,359 as general.
Additional security will be deployed at risky and highly risky centers. From the start of voting until the completion of vote counting, special police teams equipped with weapons will be stationed at each such center. Assigned officers will wear body cameras to prevent center capture, ballot stuffing, and violence.
To maintain stability ahead of the polls, superintendents of police (SPs) and officers-in-charge (OCs) of police stations in all 64 districts have already been transferred. Formal nationwide election campaigning is expected to begin on January 20 or 21.
Police Headquarters sources said polling centers were color-coded—red for highly risky, yellow for risky, and green for general—based on voter numbers, local dominance issues, distance from police stations, remoteness, communication systems, electricity supply, and infrastructure. The security plan was formulated in coordination with the Election Commission and the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Several coordination meetings involving police, Ansar, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), the Coast Guard, and the armed forces reached consensus on holding the election in a free, fair, and peaceful manner.
According to Police Headquarters data, of the 2,131 polling centers under the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), 695 are highly risky and 1,133 risky. In Chittagong Metropolitan, 312 of 607 polling centers have been classified as highly risky. Significant numbers of centers in Gazipur, Khulna, Rajshahi, Barisal, Sylhet, and Rangpur metropolitan areas have also been placed on the risk list.
Division-wise, more than half of the 8,031 polling centers in Dhaka Division are risky or highly risky. Similar conditions prevail in Chittagong, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal, Sylhet, Rangpur, and Mymensingh divisions.
Police officials said the classification was based on assessments of distance, communication facilities, infrastructural weaknesses, the presence of muscle power for or against candidates, and records of past violence. Risky centers will have larger deployments than general centers, while additional striking forces will patrol from voting through vote counting to ensure voters can cast ballots without obstruction.
Risky and highly risky centers will be under round-the-clock surveillance using body cameras. In the event of unrest, footage will be reviewed to enable immediate action and subsequent legal measures. Alongside police, members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), the army, BGB, the Coast Guard, the navy, and Ansar will also be deployed at these centers.
To ensure neutrality, field-level police officers are receiving special training on the election code of conduct and election laws. Trained personnel will be issued body cameras and easily portable weapons. SPs and OCs have been instructed to perform their duties impartially during the election period.
Police are also on alert to prevent political violence based on past experience. According to human rights organization HRSS, political violence in 2025 left 133 people dead and 7,511 injured. Ahead of the upcoming election, 54 incidents of violence have already been reported, killing three people and injuring 494. ASK data show that 102 people were killed in political violence in 2025.
Despite the risks, police said all preparations are in place to conduct the election smoothly. Intelligence surveillance has been stepped up, and security has been strengthened for candidates considered to be at risk.
Referring to election-related political violence, Additional IGP Rafiqul Islam said such violence tends to increase during elections based on past experience. However, he said police are extremely vigilant this time, with the army and BGB also deployed.
“We are trying to complete the election in a proper manner,” he said.
