Bangladesh Elections 2026: Drones, body cams and 958,000 security personnel for February 12 polls

Bangladesh Elections 2026: More than half of Bangladesh’s polling centres have been identified as “risk-prone” ahead of Thursday’s (February 12) high-stakes general election and referendum, with authorities rolling out the largest-ever security deployment in the country’s electoral history. Officials said nearly 90 per cent of polling stations will be under CCTV camera surveillance, while police personnel in the capital, Dhaka, will wear body cameras. Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and drones are also being introduced for the first time to monitor voting. The elections, the first since the 2024 mass uprising that toppled former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, are being overseen by an interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. ## Over 24,000 centres flagged as high or moderate risk Police Inspector General Baharul Alam said 24,000 out of nearly 43,000 polling centres across the country were classified as “high” or “moderate” risk-prone. According to police data shared with the Election Commission (EC), 1,614 of Dhaka’s 2,131 polling centres were marked as risk-prone. However, the army, in a separate media briefing, said it had identified only two centres in Dhaka city as “risky”. Election Commissioner Abul Fazal Mohammad Sanaullah said the EC’s security arrangements were based on detailed local assessments. “Security deployment is being made based on local sensitivity assessments,” he told a media briefing late Tuesday. Sanaullah said the poll body expected law enforcement agencies to ensure a peaceful atmosphere for voters during polling and after elections. He added that the EC was largely satisfied with the current law-and-order situation and “compared to any time in the past, we are in a better position now”. ## Nearly 9.6 lakh personnel, 25,000 body cameras Brigadier General (Retd.) Abul Fazal Md. Sanaullah said nearly 958,000 law enforcement personnel had been deployed nationwide to ensure a free, fair and impartial national election and referendum. “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 at Nirbachan Bhaban in Dhaka’s Agargaon. He added, “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 centres.” ## Voting time Voting will be held in 299 constituencies, with polling in Sherpur-3 postponed due to the death of a candidate. Balloting will run from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm, though voters present inside polling centres by closing time will still be allowed to cast their ballots. A total of 2,098 executive magistrates and 657 judicial magistrates will be on duty. Voting will take place at 42,659 centres nationwide. EC data shows first-time voters account for about 3.58 per cent of the total 127,700,597 registered voters. ## A closely watched democratic test The polls are being held simultaneously with a referendum on an 84-point reform package that includes proposals such as term limits for the prime minister and stronger institutional checks. More than 127 million voters are eligible to cast ballots in the country of about 170 million people. Around 1,981 candidates are contesting parliamentary seats. About 500 foreign observers, including representatives from the European Union and the Commonwealth, are expected to monitor the process. Bangladesh’s national legislature comprises 350 members, 300 directly elected from single-member constituencies and 50 reserved seats for women. The country follows a first-past-the-post system, with each Parliament serving a five-year term. ## BNP seen as frontrunner after Awami League ban The contest is largely between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its former ally, Jamaat-e-Islami. The interim government disbanded Hasina’s Awami League last year and barred it from contesting the polls following her ouster in what became known as the July Uprising on August 5, 2024. A series of pre-poll surveys conducted over the past two months suggest the BNP is the frontrunner, with its new chairman, Tarique Rahman, seen as the leading candidate for prime minister. Rahman, son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, returned to Bangladesh in December after 17 years in self-exile and has pledged to rebuild democratic institutions and revive the economy. ## Minority concerns and reform stakes Rights groups and observers say the election is also a test of Bangladesh’s democratic recovery after years of disputed polls and shrinking civic space under Hasina’s rule. “The future of Bangladesh is in the hands of its citizens and elected leaders to ensure the country’s stability as a rights-respecting democracy,” said Catherine Cooper, staff attorney at the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Centre. She said it is critical that the newly elected government “prioritise and protect civic space, allowing civil society, the press, political opposition, and all citizens to speak without fear of repression”. Minority communities, particularly Hindus, have reported increased intimidation and incidents of violence in recent months. Bangladesh is more than 90 per cent Muslim, while around 8 per cent of the population is Hindu. For many voters, including nearly five million new voters casting ballots for the first time, Thursday’s vote represents more than a contest between parties. It is widely seen as a referendum on whether the momentum of the 2024 uprising can translate into lasting democratic reform. With record personnel on the streets, cameras in polling booths and drones in the sky, authorities say the security architecture is in place. Whether it reassures voters and delivers a peaceful transfer of power will be closely watched at home and abroad. (With inputs from agencies)