Election Commission holds meeting to finalize security arrangements for 13th parliamentary elections

Staff Report: PNN

The Election Commission (EC) held a meeting with law enforcement agencies to finalize security arrangements for the upcoming 13th parliamentary elections. The meeting began at 10:30 AM on Thursday at the election building in Agargaon, presided over by Chief Election Commissioner A M M Nasir Uddin. Four election commissioners, the Home Secretary, EC Secretary, and senior officials from relevant agencies were present.

The meeting reviewed election security arrangements and discussed various strategies for managing voting. Decisions included the number of law enforcement personnel at polling stations before and after voting. Previously, a preparatory meeting on 20 October recommended eight days of deployment around polling. Now, 13–18 personnel will be assigned per polling station.

It was announced that over 700,000 law enforcement personnel will be involved, including 550,000 Ansar-VDP members and more than 90,000 armed forces personnel. Police, RAB, BGB, and Coast Guard will also participate.

The meeting also addressed illegal weapons seizures and other security matters. Decisions made will guide the final election schedule and dates, and the law enforcement budget was also reviewed.