Home Adviser Lieutenant General (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury on Thursday said there would be no scope for ballot snatching in the upcoming national election, as unprecedented security arrangements are being put in place across the country.
Speaking as the chief guest at the quarterly crime review and views exchange meeting organised by Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Bangladesh Police at its Malibagh headquarters, the Home Adviser said around nine lakh members of various law enforcement agencies will be deployed during the polls.

“There will be no scope for vote snatching this time,” he said, adding that the enhanced security measures aim to ensure a free, fair, transparent, impartial, peaceful and festive election.

He expressed confidence that the upcoming polls would set a benchmark for future elections in the country.
Chowdhury stressed that the success of the election would depend on the honesty, neutrality and professionalism of all officials and law enforcement personnel involved in the process.

He said the deployment of law enforcement personnel would take place in two phases. Those deployed in the first phase will remain in position, while a second, vote-focused deployment will be carried out for seven days from February 8 to 14 to maintain law and order nationwide.

Unlike previous elections, where only one armed police member was stationed at each polling centre, at least five armed law enforcement personnel will be deployed at every polling station this time, he said.

This will include two armed police members and three armed Ansar personnel. At key polling centres, six armed personnel, including three police members, will be deployed.

In addition, 10 unarmed Ansar members—six men and four women—armed with batons will be assigned to each polling station, he added.

Highlighting new initiatives, the Home Adviser said law enforcement personnel would receive specialised training, and modern security measures such as body-worn cameras, CCTV cameras, drones and dog squads would be deployed for the first time during a national election.

He also said expatriate voters, government officials and employees, election-duty officials and members of law enforcement agencies would be able to cast their votes through registration on the “Postal Vote BD” mobile application.

The meeting was presided over by CID Chief and Additional Inspector General of Police Md Sibgat Ullah, while Inspector General of Police Baharul Alam attended as the special guest.

At the event, the Home Adviser also distributed awards among CID officers of various ranks in recognition of their outstanding professional performance.