You can now bring your mobile phones to polling centres, but taking snaps not allowed
None will be permitted to take photos with mobile phone inside the secret voting booths, said EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed.
The Election Commission (EC) has withdrawn its earlier restriction on carrying mobile phones within 400 yards of polling centres on election day.
Speaking to reporters at the EC headquarters in Dhaka's Agargaon today (9 February), EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said voters will be allowed to enter polling centres with mobile phones, and candidates and their agents may also carry phones and take photographs inside the centre if necessary.
However, no one will be permitted to take photos with mobile phone inside the secret ballot booths.
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"In addition, polling officers, assistant presiding officers, and polling agents will not be allowed to carry mobile phones," he added.
Earlier, the EC imposed a strict ban on carrying mobile phones into polling centres during the upcoming referendum and the 13th national parliamentary election, scheduled for 12 February.
No such ban was imposed in any past election and the move has garnered sharp reaction from citizens and political leaders.
The Election Commission's decision to prohibit mobile phones within 400 yards of polling centres for the upcoming national polls and referendum has triggered a wave of criticism from political figures, netizens, journalists, and civil society voices.
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman has warned of launching a stern movement if the ban on carrying mobile phones within 400 yards of polling centres is not withdrawn by this evening.
He issued the warning to the Election Commission while taking part in an election campaign in the capital's Mohammadpur area today.
NCP warned of protests if the decision is not withdrawn.
In a post on the party's official Facebook page, Convener Nahid Islam said they would besiege the EC building tomorrow if the restriction was not cancelled today.
Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has also criticised the EC's decision, calling it unreasonable, disproportionate, and counterproductive.
In a statement issued today, the anti-corruption watchdog said the restriction would obstruct the free flow of information and undermine transparency, accountability, and public confidence in the electoral process.
The RFED, in a statement today, termed the ban on journalists carrying mobile phones a clear attempt to make the election non-transparent and questionable.
The statement, signed by RFED President Kazi Jebel and General Secretary Golam Rabbani, argued that the claim that banning mobiles would bring discipline to the election process was irrational and baseless.
Earlier yesterday, the commission issued a directive banning the carrying and use of mobile phones within a 400-yard radius of polling centres on election day.
According to the directive, no individual would be allowed to enter or remain within 400 yards of a polling centre with a mobile phone. The restriction was to apply to voters, polling agents, and others on election duty, with limited exceptions.
Only the presiding officer, the officer-in-charge of the police assigned to the centre, and two authorised Ansar members using the "Election Security 2026" mobile application were permitted to carry phones within the restricted area.
The directive was sent to 69 returning officers, including divisional commissioners of Dhaka and Chattogram, district administrators of all 64 districts, and regional election officers of Dhaka, Chattogram, and Khulna.
