With the clock ticking down to the end of public campaigning, candidates across Bangladesh made a final push on Monday, turning to rallies, door-to-door visits, and last-minute appeals to reach undecided voters. Campaigning for the 13th General Election officially ends at 7:30am on Tuesday, ahead of nationwide voting on Thursday.
Since January 22, the country has transformed into a vibrant political arena. Senior Secretary of the EC Secretariat Akhtar Ahmed confirmed that all parties and candidates must halt election-related activities after the deadline. Over the past weeks, streets, highways, and public squares have resembled festival grounds. Major cities like Dhaka, Chattogram, Khulna, Rajshahi, Barishal, and Sylhet hosted rallies attracting tens of thousands of supporters waving flags, chanting slogans, and displaying colorful banners. Temporary stages showcased speeches, cultural performances, and multimedia presentations highlighting party agendas.
In smaller towns and villages, candidates and campaigners reached remote communities through door-to-door canvassing, bicycle processions, and sound truck tours. Folk music, street theatre, and local cultural programs were widely used to educate voters about the elections and the referendum. Social media campaigns ran in parallel, broadcasting live events to urban and rural audiences alike.
Despite the festive atmosphere, the Election Commission emphasized peaceful political participation. Security personnel were deployed nationwide to prevent clashes, and observers reported orderly rallies and coordinated crowd management in most areas. Citizens actively engaged in political discussions, attended rallies, and prepared to cast their ballots, creating the impression of a country-wide democratic celebration.
Voting will take place on Thursday from 7:30am to 4:30pm across 299 parliamentary constituencies, using transparent ballot boxes. The election in Sherpur-3 has been postponed following the death of a Jamaat-e-Islami candidate. According to EC sources, ballot papers have already been dispatched to returning officers in 49 districts, with the remaining districts receiving them by Sunday.
This year, 127,711,899 voters are eligible, including 64,825,154 male voters, 62,885,525 female voters, and 1,220 voters from the third gender. Jhalokathi-1 has the fewest voters at 228,431, while Gazipur-2 has the most at 804,333.
A total of 51 political parties are contesting, fielding 2,034 candidates, including 275 independents. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has nominated the highest number of candidates at 291. Dhaka-12 has the most candidates at 15, while Pirojpur-1 has the fewest with two contenders.
Election preparations are massive: 42,779 polling stations and 247,482 polling booths have been set up. Nearly 800,000 officials will oversee operations, and around 900,000 law enforcement personnel have been deployed to ensure security. A total of 55,454 observers from 81 nationally registered organizations will monitor the polls, including 7,997 centrally and 47,457 locally. Additionally, approximately 500 international observers are expected, according to Election Commissioner Brigadier General (Retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah.
As the nation awaits Thursday's polls, the final day of campaigning signals both the culmination of a lively political season and the start of an historic exercise in democracy for Bangladesh.
