Ansar to play most important role in polls, 13 members to be stationed in each polling centre: Home adviser

Members of the Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Party (VDP) will be deployed in the highest numbers during the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election, Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said today (28 October).

Ansar force plays the most important role during elections, said the adviser while speaking as the chief guest at the inauguration of the Ansar Welfare Trust Transport Service at the Ansar and VDP Headquarters in the capital's Khilgaon area.

According to him, each polling centre will have 13 Ansar members—three armed and 10 unarmed. Among the unarmed members, six will be men and four women. For the first time, an armed Ansar member will also accompany each presiding officer. He added that Ansar personnel will remain deployed for a total of nine days around the election period.

Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury at the inauguration of the Ansar Welfare Trust Transport Service at the Ansar and VDP Headquarters in the capital's Khilgaon area on 28 October 2025. Photo: Focus Bangla

"The Ansar force has always played a crucial role in ensuring national security, maintaining peace and discipline, and contributing to the country's development," said the adviser. "They continue to serve the nation with dedication, discipline, and patriotism, often putting their lives at risk."

Highlighting welfare initiatives for the force, the adviser announced that the Ansar Welfare Trust has purchased 31 new vehicles with its own funding. The new fleet includes nine troop carriers, 14 covered vans, four 42-seater buses, two 24-seater minibuses, and two ambulances.

6.5 lakh Ansar members to be deployed at polling centres during national election: Ansar DG

"These vehicles will help ease travel-related challenges for Ansar members and improve their welfare and mobility," he said. "The transport service will be operated with professionalism and will ensure reliable and safe travel facilities for all valid Ansar personnel."

Responding to journalists' questions about illegal firearms, the adviser said weapons are being recovered regularly, calling it a "continuous process." He added that as the election approaches, more illegal weapons will be seized until "there are none left outside."

The event was also attended by Major General Abdul Motaleb Sajjad Mahmud, director general of Bangladesh Ansar and VDP, along with other senior officials of the force.