National
12th Parliamentary Election At a Glance
Biggest Budget National Election Underway in Bangladesh
The ongoing 12th general election in Bangladesh holds the record for the largest election budget in the nation’s history, estimated at around Tk2,276.22 crores. Out of this expenditure, approximately Tk1,225.62 crore is allocated for maintaining law and order, while the remaining Tk1,050.60 crore is designated for election management activities. The budget may see further adjustments, according to a high official of the Election Commission (EC).
Candidate and Constituencies Details
The election, scheduled for January 7, involves voting from 8 am to 4 pm across 299 constituencies. Voters in these constituencies can cast their votes at approximately 2.60 lakh polling booths in 42,024 polling stations throughout the country. Despite having 300 constituencies, the election will proceed in 299, with a total of 1,969 candidates in the running. Of these, 1,533 are from 28 political parties, and 436 are independents. The EC postponed the election for Naogaon-2 constituency due to the death of an independent candidate.
Ballot Distribution and Campaign Code Violations
The EC has decided to send ballot papers to polling centers across the country on the morning of the election day, excluding remote and hard-to-reach areas, to enhance transparency. The campaign period has been marred by numerous violations of the electoral code of conduct, with the EC struggling to curb violations by issuing notices, summonses, and warnings. Only one candidate had their candidature canceled for code breaches, but they later regained candidacy through a High Court writ.
Security Measures and Vehicular Restrictions
Law enforcement agencies, including police, RAB, Ansar, BGB, and Coast Guard, have deployed approximately 750,000 members to ensure security during the 12th National elections. The armed forces, consisting of 38,154 army members, have been active since Wednesday, coordinating with other forces. Vehicular movement restrictions, including the ban on taxi cabs, pickups, microbuses, and trucks, are in place on election day. Motorcycle movement will remain closed for three days until January 8, while private cars and public transport will have relaxed restrictions.
Voter Statistics and Observer Presence
The final voter list for the 12th national parliamentary polls indicates a total of 11,96,89,289 voters in the country, with 6,07,69,741 male voters, 5,89,18,699 female voters, and 849 transgender voters. The EC approved 20,773 local observers from 84 organizations to monitor the elections, along with 126 foreign observers from 34 countries and 4 organizations. Additionally, 76 foreign journalists are covering the poll. Around 9 lakh polling officers are on duty, including returning officers, assistant returning officers, presiding officers, assistant presiding officers, and polling officers.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has forecasted that the ongoing mild to moderate heat wave affecting six regions of the country will persist for the next 24 hours from 9 am today.
The heat wave is currently sweeping over the Rangpur, Mymensingh, and Sylhet divisions, as well as the districts of Tangail, Kishoreganj, and Naogaon. According to the BMD, this weather pattern is expected to continue for the foreseeable future.
In addition to the heat wave, light to moderate rain or thundershowers accompanied by temporary gusty winds are likely to occur in parts of the Khulna, Barishal, and Chattogram divisions. Isolated showers may also affect a few areas in Rangpur, Rajshahi, Dhaka, Mymensingh, and Sylhet divisions, with moderately heavy rainfall expected in some locations across the country.
Despite these weather conditions, the BMD noted that daytime and nighttime temperatures are expected to remain largely unchanged across Bangladesh.
On Wednesday, the highest temperature in the country was recorded at 37.5 degrees Celsius in Rangpur of Rangpur division, while today’s minimum temperature was 24.0 degrees Celsius, observed in Rangamati and Feni districts of Chattogram division.
Meanwhile, rainfall recorded over the last 24 hours, up until 6 am today, measured 54 mm in Sandwip of the Chattogram division.
In Dhaka, the sun is set to set at 5:58 pm today and will rise again at 5:47 am tomorrow.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has filed 17 cases against Beximco Group’s Vice-Chairman, Salman F Rahman, and 27 others, accusing them of laundering approximately Tk1,000 crore ($83 million) under the guise of export trade. This development was confirmed by Additional Superintendent of Police Azad Rahman through a notification on 18 September.
The investigation, conducted under the Money Laundering Prevention Act, found that Salman F Rahman and his brother, ASF Rahman, who serves as the Chairman of Beximco Group, were involved in laundering around Tk1,000 crore. This was done through the export of goods linked to 93 Letters of Credit (LCs) from Janata Bank PLC between 2021 and 2024. However, the proceeds from these exports were not repatriated to Bangladesh.
The CID revealed that the accused individuals, through an organised operation involving their affiliated companies, exported goods with the malicious intent of transferring money abroad. The probe indicated that they deliberately failed to return the export proceeds, violating multiple sections of the Money Laundering Prevention Act.
According to the CID, Salman F Rahman and his associates used their influence and collaborated with an organised criminal group to launder money. This resulted in 17 cases being filed by the CID’s financial crime unit at Motijheel Police Station.
Salman F Rahman, who has long been a prominent figure during Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule, is now facing an in-depth investigation by the CID’s financial crime unit. The investigation focuses on significant allegations of money laundering and financial misconduct, as highlighted in a preliminary report from the CID on 1 September.
Salman is also accused of laundering Tk33,470 crore abroad, allegedly obtained through loans from seven banks over the past 15 years. Of this, Tk21,681 crore was borrowed from state-owned Janata Bank, while Tk5,281 crore came from IFIC Bank, where Salman previously served as chairman.
In addition to these allegations, Salman is believed to have profited Tk6,600 crore through manipulation of the capital market and is accused of failing to repatriate Tk1,485 crore from export proceeds.
The Bangladesh Meteorological Department (BMD) has predicted light to moderate rain or thundershowers, accompanied by temporary gusty winds, in all eight divisions of the country over the next 24 hours, starting from 9 AM today.
According to the BMD forecast, Chattogram and Sylhet divisions are likely to experience light to moderate rain or thundershowers, while Dhaka and Barishal divisions may see similar weather at a few locations. In Rajshahi, Rangpur, Mymensingh, and Khulna divisions, rainfall is expected in one or two places, with some areas potentially experiencing moderately heavy showers.
The BMD also stated that both day and night temperatures might rise slightly across the country.
On Tuesday, the highest temperature was recorded at 36.5 degrees Celsius in Rajarhat, Rangpur division, while today’s lowest temperature was 24.6 degrees Celsius in Tetulia, also in Rangpur.
In the last 24 hours up to 6 AM today, Cumilla in the Chattogram division recorded 3 mm of rainfall.
The sun is expected to set at 5:58 PM today and rise at 5:46 AM tomorrow in Dhaka.
