Dhaka, Dec 9: Bangladesh Election Commission has completed all preparations to hold the 13th general elections in February and will announce the schedule in the next two days, a top official said on Tuesday.
“After a meeting with the President (Mohammad Shahabuddin), the schedule would be announced tomorrow evening or the day after,” Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud told reporters here.
He said that the meeting is scheduled for Wednesday at the Bangabhaban presidential palace.
Meanwhile, the EC officials said that Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin was expected to announce the schedule in a nationwide address.
The CEC met Chief Justice Syed Refaat Ahmed on Tuesday at the Supreme Court ahead of the announcement of the date for elections and a referendum to seek public opinions on a series of reform proposals rolled out by the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government.
Former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has emerged as the frontrunner, with its former ally Jamaat-e-Islami and its right-wing Islamic allies being the main rival in the absence of deposed premier Sheikh Hasina’s disbanded Awami League.
Both parties have announced their nominees in the election for the 300-seat parliament.
Masud said that special emphasis will be given to ensuring the cooperation of all, including political parties, in the announcement of the election schedule.
He also said that the symbols of any banned or suspended parties will not appear in the final postal ballots, in a veiled reference to the Awami League.
A special tribunal last month sentenced Hasina to death on charges of crimes against humanity. She is currently in India.
Most of her senior colleagues and activists in the party and government were in jail awaiting trial on identical charges, while many of them are on the run at home and abroad.
The scenario made it difficult for Awami League leaders to contest the polls as independent candidates despite having a large support base.
Meanwhile, tension between Jamaat-e-Islami and the BNP over election campaigning in the Sirajganj-1 constituency erupted into violence Monday night, injuring around 15 Jamaat activists, party sources said.
The BNP has denied involvement, blaming locals for the clash.
BNP–Jamaat election campaign clash in B’desh injures 15
As political conflict escalates ahead of next year’s election in Bangladesh, differences between the radical Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) over election campaigning in the Kazipur upazila of Sirajganj district erupted into violence, leaving around 15 Jamaat workers injured, local media reported on Tuesday.
The incident occurred late on Monday night at an Islamic gathering in Sthalbari village of Sonamukhi union. Jamaat-backed MP candidate and Sirajganj district leader Maulana Shahinur Alam was also attacked as he left the venue.
Citing local witnesses, The Daily Star reported that Alam had been invited as a guest to the ‘waz mahfil (religious gathering)’, where BNP-nominated candidate Selim Reza was also present. During the event, tensions reportedly flared between supporters of the two candidates.
Reports suggest that Reza calmed his agitated supporters and left the stage, and the attack on the Jamaat candidate occurred later as he was departing.
Speaking to The Daily Star, Alam claimed that the “BNP activists had carried out a pre-planned attack.”
Countering the allegations, BNP leader Reza said that the party had no role in the incident and blamed the locals for the clash.
Kazipur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Shah Enayetur Rahman said: “We will take action after investigation if a complaint is lodged”, adding that no written complaint had been filed yet.
Last month, at least 25 people were injured after a violent clash erupted between workers of the BNP and Jamaat during electoral outreach in the Pabna district, according to local media reports.
The violence erupted in Char Gargari village of Sahapur Union in Pabna, as both sides blamed each other for the attack. Seven of those injured were taken to the Ishwardi Upazila Health Complex, while the others received primary treatment at various private clinics.
Bangladesh has been witnessing escalating political violence under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government ahead of the February 2026 election.
The parties that earlier collaborated with Yunus to overthrow the democratically elected government of the Awami League, led by Sheikh Hasina, are now at loggerheads. (Agencies)
