Dhaka is witnessing escalating political tensions ahead of the February 12, 2026 elections, with street protests targeting the Election Commission (EC). On Sunday, hundreds of activists from the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), the student wing of the BNP, laid siege to the EC building in Agargaon, voicing fierce opposition to alleged biased decisions on postal ballots.
The demonstrators, led by JCD President Rakibul Islam, gathered outside the heavily fortified EC premises, chanting slogans against what they call politically influenced rulings. Security forces, including police, navy personnel, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and Ansar members, were swiftly deployed to maintain order. Riot control vehicles and water cannons stood ready as the crowd swelled.
JCD accuses the EC of three major lapses: discriminatory handling of postal ballots, undue political interference in decision-making, and a controversial notification regarding student union elections at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), allegedly swayed by a specific political party.
Rakibul Islam, addressing the protesters, lambasted the EC for succumbing to pressure from a particular political group on postal ballots. He highlighted past humiliations of student organizations, drawing parallels to irregularities in SUST hostel elections. Islam criticized the ballot distribution process, likening it to leaving letters in a common hostel area for anyone to grab. He claimed around 160 ballots were dumped in one box and later distributed to outsiders.
The protests gained momentum after a viral social media video showed hundreds of postal ballots addressed to a single location in Bahrain, sparking widespread outrage. The EC responded on January 14, with Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmad explaining that variations in Middle Eastern postal systems, via the Universal Postal Union, led to the bundling of 160 ballots in one box.
As Bangladesh braces for pivotal elections, these confrontations underscore deep mistrust in electoral institutions. Political infighting within parties compounds the chaos, raising fears of further unrest. The EC now faces mounting pressure to address these grievances transparently to restore public confidence.