Mobile phones at polling stations banned

Staff Reporter :

The Election Commission (EC) has prohibited carrying and using mobile phones within 400 yards of polling stations during the 13th National Parliamentary Election and referendum on February 12.

The decision was communicated in a letter signed by Md Shahidul Islam, senior assistant secretary of the EC’s Election Management and Coordination-1 branch, on Sunday.

The letter has been sent to divisional commissioners, regional election officers, deputy commissioners and returning officers.According to the letter, only the presiding officer in charge of the polling station, the officer-in-charge of police assigned to the centre, and two Ansar members using the “Election Security 2026” application under the Integrated Ansar/General Ansar/VDP assigned to the polling station will be allowed to carry mobile phones within the restricted area. All concerned authorities have been requested to take necessary measures in line with the decision. Voting will take place from 7:30am to 4:30pm on February 12.

The total number of voters stands at 127,695,183, including 64,814,907 male voters, 62,879,042 female voters and 1,234 third-gender voters.

The EC has published a final list of 42,761 polling stations across the country. A total of 244,649 booths have been set up, including 115,137 rooms for men and 129,602 rooms for women. As the referendum and parliamentary election will be held on the same day, the number of secret booths will be increased accordingly.