Election will be challenging, sudden attacks may come: CA

Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus on Wednesday warned that the upcoming national election would be challenging, as forces from both home and abroad might attempt to disrupt the polls.

"Many forces from inside and outside the country will work to spoil the election. Many powerful forces, not minor ones, will attempt to thwart it. Sudden attacks may come. This election will be challenging. No matter how many obstacles arise, we must overcome them," Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam quoted him as saying at a high-level meeting on election preparations.

High-level meeting on election preparations held at Jamuna

Shafiqul also said the Election Commission is likely to announce the date for the upcoming national election by the first week of December.

The meeting, presided over by the chief adviser, was held at the State Guest House Jamuna in the capital. Shafiqul Alam later briefed reporters at the Foreign Service Academy in the afternoon.

Yunus called for full-scale preparedness to counter any internal or external attempts to derail the polls, emphasising transparency, coordination, and voter awareness to ensure a fair and peaceful election.

The chief adviser instructed the authorities to complete key preparatory tasks – including the training of Ansar members, procurement of body-worn cameras, and other logistical arrangements – by 15 November, Shafiqul said.

He stressed that public engagement and communication are essential to making the election peaceful and festive.

"We have to reach out to the people, make them aware of the election code, polling procedures, and how to act if any disorder arises," Yunus said.

The two-hour meeting discussed four key issues: officer deployment, training, security measures, and monitoring of social media disinformation.

According to the press secretary, the Election Commission presented detailed criteria for selecting returning and polling officers, emphasising that officials who served in the same areas in previous elections would not be posted there again. No officer will be assigned to their home district or to constituencies where close relatives are contesting.

Deployment screening will include checks on physical fitness, service records, and neutrality, verified through intelligence channels. The Election Commission plans to begin officer assignments from 1 November.

"This time, impartiality will be ensured from the very beginning," Shafiqul said. "No one with political bias or local influence will be placed in sensitive positions."

Security and training

Security agencies briefed the meeting on deployment plans for the election period. Around 92,500 personnel from the Army and Navy will support law enforcement across the country, alongside police, RAB, BGB, and other auxiliary forces. 

The deployment will cover the 72 hours before and after polling day to maintain order and prevent unrest.

The meeting also reviewed training and logistics requirements for law enforcement and polling staff, including the urgent need for body-worn cameras, digital monitoring tools, and real-time reporting systems to enhance transparency.

Training modules for election-duty personnel and awareness videos for the public are expected to be completed by mid-November.

Countering disinformation

Social media monitoring and combating misinformation were identified as top priorities. 

The meeting decided to establish a national-level coordination cell –  supported by district and upazila teams – to track and counter false or manipulated content, including AI-generated images and videos that could mislead voters.

The ICT and Information ministries were tasked with assisting in rapid fact-checking and content removal. 

Plans were also discussed for a nationwide awareness campaign through television, online platforms, and community channels to educate citizens on election rules and discourage rumours.

Ensuring public confidence

The chief adviser reiterated that transparency, communication, and institutional neutrality are key to restoring public trust. He again warned that "forces from inside and outside the country" might try to disrupt the polls and urged all agencies to remain alert and coordinated.

Officials said the meeting concluded with a decision to keep multiple committees active – including a central coordination cell and a disinformation taskforce – to operate down to the upazila level.

Further inter-agency meetings will continue in the coming weeks as the Election Commission finalises deployment, logistics, and monitoring arrangements.