2,028 Candidates to Contest Feb 12 Polls: EC

Election Commissioner (EC) Brigadier General (retd) Abul Fazal Muhammad Sanaullah.

A total of 2,028 candidates from 50 political parties, along with independents, are contesting the 13th national parliamentary elections scheduled for February 12, the Election Commission (EC) said on Tuesday.

Of the candidates, 81 are women, Election Commissioner Brigadier General (retd) Abul Fazal Muhammad Sanaullah said at a press briefing at Nirbachon Bhaban in Agargaon in the afternoon.

The parliamentary elections and referendum will be held in 299 constituencies, as voting in the Sherpur-3 constituency has been postponed following the death of a candidate.

Polling will be conducted using ballot papers and transparent ballot boxes from 7:30am to 4:30pm. However, voters who are present within the polling centre premises by the closing time will be allowed to cast their votes after 4:30pm.

Voting will take place at 42,958 polling centres nationwide. Of these, physical voting will be held at 42,659 centres, while postal ballots will be counted at 299 centres.

“We are considering around 50 percent of the polling centres as normal, while the remaining 50 percent are vulnerable,” EC Sanaullah said.

The country’s total number of voters stands at more than 12.77 crore, including about 6.48 crore male voters and over 6.28 crore female voters.

So far, 9,700 media personnel have been registered with the Election Commission, while 156 foreign journalists are expected to observe the elections.