From metro pillars to walls: Campaigners for aspiring lawmakers violate law with poster blitz across Dhaka
The Election Commission is set to publish a new code of conduct within days, introducing major changes – including bans on posters and drones, while allowing limited billboard use
As the national election approaches, supporters of aspiring lawmakers are plastering metro rail pillars, walls, and poles across Dhaka with posters, in clear violation of the Graffiti Writing and Poster Sticking Control Act, 2012.
From Bangla Motor to Shahbagh, nearly every pier of the metro rail is plastered with posters — political leaders staring down from every pillar, competing for space with old cultural posters.
Among them are images of BNP leader Mirza Abbas, Biplobi Workers' Party General Secretary Saiful Haque, National People's Party leader Sheikh Salauddin Salu, and Bangladesh Republican Party leaders MA Matin and Kamal Hossain. Between the political banners, a few posters of Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigoshthi and BTV's Notun Kuri cling to the concrete.
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"This city has no clean corner left," said commuter Giash Uddin. "Even the metro piers now look like they were built for political campaigns. They've covered the July Uprising graffiti with posters. We only hear about keeping the city clean, but no one actually does it."
The scene is not limited to this stretch. Across the capital and other cities, walls, poles, and bridges are covered with posters and banners ahead of the election — often in violation of the 2012 poster law.
What the law says
Under Section 4 of the law, local authorities may designate specific places for graffiti or poster display. Posters may only be placed there or, with permission and payment, in other approved areas.
Section 3 states: "Except in places designated under Section 4, no graffiti or posters may be displayed elsewhere."
Violators can be fined between Tk5,000 and Tk10,000 or face up to 15 days' simple imprisonment, while organisations may face fines from Tk10,000 to Tk50,000 or up to 30 days' imprisonment. In all cases, offenders must remove the posters at their own cost.
The amended Representation of the People Order (RPO), 1972, prohibits the use of posters for election campaigns.
Election Commission sources said the gazette on the new code of conduct will be published within days. The code introduces several changes, including a ban on posters and drones. However, candidates may use up to 20 billboards each.
Election Commission walls also covered
Visits to Karwan Bazar, Farmgate, Agargaon, Mirpur, Gulshan, Banani, Mohakhali, Khilgaon, Paltan, and Old Dhaka found party posters and festoons everywhere — even on the boundary walls of the Election Commission in Agargaon. Posters of the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami were the most prominent.
Election Commissioner Md Anwarul Islam Sarker told The Business Standard, "At present, removing posters is not covered by our law. The parliamentary election code of conduct will take effect from the date of the schedule announcement."
"If political parties or candidates fail to remove their posters after that, the Election Commission will take steps," he said. "From 13 November, we will begin dialogues with political parties and urge them to remove posters already installed. If we have to do it ourselves, it will not look good."
City corporations cleaning up but not fining offenders
Dhaka's two city corporations have begun removing posters, banners and festoons from streets and public structures, but without enforcing penalties.
On 6 November, Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Administrator Mohammad Ejaz said the corporation had removed 125,000 banners and festoons in a month.
"Even though we are not imposing fines, we will inform the Election Commission and parties to take action. We are also moving towards banning banners, posters and festoons entirely in Dhaka North," he added.
Dhaka South Chief Waste Officer Air Commodore Md Mahabubur Rahman Talukder said, "Our operations had been suspended for some time. As the city is now flooded again, we will soon relaunch drives."
Asked why offenders were not fined, a DNCC official said the lack of executive magistrates made enforcement difficult. "Destroying the posters causes enough financial loss. We plan to be stricter later," he added.
Urban experts said spending public money on poster removal without applying the law would have little effect. "If fines or jail terms were imposed, others would have learnt from it," said one planner.
Experts said Bangladesh's poster culture is unmatched globally. Former Bangladesh Institute of Planners president Mohammad Fazle Reza Sumon said, "When caught, candidates claim their supporters acted on their own – and get away with it. The law must be amended."
"Even Mumbai doesn't face this level of visual pollution," he added. "We must all take responsibility to keep our city clean and treat it as our own."
