Festive mood grips Rangpur division ahead of JS polls tomorrow

People from all walks of life of Rangpur division are eagerly waiting to cast votes tomorrow as authorities have completed preparations to hold the 13th Jatiya Sangsad (JS) elections in a free, fair, impartial, transparent and peaceful manner.
 
For the first time in the last 17 years, a wonderful festive atmosphere like Eid-ul-Fitr has been created amid tightened security in the division, where thousands of local voters working in the capital city or other areas have returned home just to cast their votes.
 
Hundreds of passenger buses carrying them from Dhaka, Narayanganj and Gazipur and other areas of the country have reached Kurigram, Gaibandha, Rangpur, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Panchagarh, Thakurgaon and Dinajpur districts in the last 24 hours.
 
Officials at Rangpur Regional Election Office said Returning Officers, who are Deputy Commissioners of respective districts, today completed sending of election materials side by side with deployment of members of law enforcement agencies to all polling centres.
 
The Returning Officers have formed the election monitoring committees, law and order control cells and vigilance and observation teams across the division for holding the election peacefully in a free, fair and transparent manner. 
 
The police administration has taken a six-tier security plan to avoid any untoward situation anywhere in all 33 constituencies of Rangpur division during the 13th JS Election and Referendum, 2026 tomorrow(12/02/26).
 
Meanwhile, a total of 4,546 polling centers have been prepared for 1 crore 34 lakh 54 thousand 456 voters in all 33 constituencies of Rangpur division. 
 
The administration has identified 2,561 polling centers as risky, including 827 as highly risky. 
 
Extra precautions have already been taken, especially in the char areas, isolated areas and the centers near the homes of some candidates. 
 
In addition to the surveillance of the detective police at the polling centers, there will be members of law enforcement agencies with body-worn cameras in all 33 constituencies of the division. 
 
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) for Rangpur Range Police Aminul Islam told journalists that steps have been taken for ensuring six-tier full proof security in holding the JS polls and referendum peacefully in Rangpur division.
 
Adequate number of the members of the law enforcement agencies, including police members, and Army, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Rapid Action Battalion (RAB/SIF) and Ansar-VDP have been deployed in the division.
 
There are 30 municipalities and 533 unions in 33 parliamentary constituencies in the division where police will perform their duties professionally with utmost caution in risky centers. 
 
"Additional police forces have been deployed in each risky polling center. Besides, police members will have body-worn cameras, which will be monitored live from higher levels," he said.
 
Talking to BSS this afternoon, Rangpur Regional Election Officer Md Dewar Hossain said a total of 237 candidates of different political parties and independent candidates are contesting in all 33 parliamentary constituencies in the 13th JS elections in Rangpur division. 
 
"A total of one crore 34 lakh 54 thousand 456 voters, including male and female voters, are expected to cast their votes at 4,546 polling centres in 33 constituencies of the division," he said.
 
The Judicial Magistrates are conducting mobile courts while Executive Magistrates are leading teams of striking forces and election enquiry committees working under the judiciary in all 33 constituencies.
 
"Election officials like presiding officers, assistant presiding officers and polling officers along with transparent ballot boxes and other election materials have already reached or will reach by this afternoon at all polling centres," Hossain added.

Rangpur District Returning Officer and Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Enamul Ahsan said that the total number of voters in the six parliamentary constituencies of Rangpur district is 25,99,202. 
 
"Of them, 13,06,333 are female and 12,92,838 are male and 31 third-gender voters in the district," he said. 
 
Voting will be held in 4,988 booths in a total of 873 polling centers in the district where 44 candidates from different political parties and independents are contesting in this JS polls. 
 
According to police sources, among the 873 polling centers in the six parliamentary constituencies of Rangpur, 216 polling centers have been identified as risky. 
 
Among the 216 risky polling centers, there are 121 polling stations in the Rangpur City Corporation area under Rangpur Metropolitan Police and 95 in eight upazilas under the Rangpur District Police. 
 
The police have taken additional security measures at these risky polling centers where CCTV cameras have also been installed. 
 
Rangpur District Police Superintendent Marufat Hussaine said that, to ensure a peaceful election, police have been deployed at 669 centers under the jurisdiction of the Rangpur District Police.
 
Adequate numbers of mobile teams, striking forces, sub-sectors and sectors have been divided in union and municipal areas outside the polling centers to provide security to voters, candidates and election equipment. 
 
In addition to the surveillance of the detective police at the polling centers, the police will have body-worn cameras at the polling centers across Rangpur district. 
 
Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Md Majid Ali said that there are 204 polling centers in six police stations of Rangpur metropolis, which consists of partial areas of three parliamentary constituencies.
 
Separate security arrangements have been made in the 21 risky polling centers, including duty in 204 polling centers in these places. 
 
In addition, 30 mobile patrol teams and 78 striking reserve forces will work on election duty in the metropolis. 
 
"We will work professionally and spare none if found violating the election rules or involved in crimes to hold a free, fair, transparent JS election in a festive atmosphere," he said. 

Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Army's 66th Infantry Division Commando Group is ready to control and deal with any kind of volatile situation in any constituency of Rangpur division. 
 
If chaos occurs in any polling center in remote areas of Rangpur division on Election Day, they will drop helicopters and work to deal with the situation. 
 
In addition, 3,000 BGB members have been deployed in four districts of Rangpur, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat and Gaibandha in Rangpur division to control the law and order situation and maintain peace. 
 
BGB's Rangpur Sector Commander Colonel SM Shafiqur Rahman said that 74 platoons of BGB have been deployed in 26 base camps in these four districts under Rangpur BGB Sector. 
 
There are 2,572 polling centers in these four districts of Rangpur division. Out of these, 600 are risky polling centers. 
 
BGB members are working as a mobile and striking force, including setting up check posts and providing flawless security and paying special attention to maintaining peace and order in the risky polling centers.