Bangladesh Election 2026: Vote Counting Under Way Across 299 Seats

Bangladesh held closely watched general elections on Thursday to pick a new government and approve or reject a wide 84-point reform package, as scattered violence and allegations of irregularities surfaced during voting across most of the country’s 300 parliamentary seats.

Ballots were cast in 299 constituencies from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm under tight security, with polling stations keeping doors open beyond closing time for voters already inside. Counting began soon after, while voting in one constituency was cancelled following the death of a candidate.

Bangladesh elections: turnout, voters and key political contest

The Election Commission reported around 48 per cent turnout by 2 pm, according to the BSS news agency, from nearly 127 million registered voters spread across 42,779 polling centres. The contest largely involved the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami, after the Awami League was dissolved in 2024 and barred from participation.

Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus’ interim administration, formed after the Awami League government fell in August 2024, supervised the process. Yunus, along with the top leaders of the two main rival parties, cast votes early in the day at polling centres in Dhaka.

Bangladesh elections: parties, candidates and women contenders

A total of 1,755 candidates from 50 parties, alongside 273 independents, contested the 13th parliamentary elections. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party fielded 291 candidates, the highest from any party, while 83 women stood for election across constituencies, reflecting continued interest in female political participation.

Bearing responsibility for restoring an elected administration, Yunus stated earlier that power would be handed over swiftly once results were confirmed. Yunus voted at the Gulshan Model School and College centre, the same venue where Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairman Tarique Rahman also cast a ballot.

Bangladesh elections: statements from BNP and Jamaat leaders

Tarique Rahman voted at Gulshan Model School and College in Dhaka’s Gulshan neighbourhood and said Bangladesh Nationalist Party would honour the outcome if the process met core democratic standards. "If the election is held in a free, fair, impartial manner and without controversy, then why shouldn't we accept it? We will accept it. However, of course, there is one condition that the election must be impartial and peaceful. If the people cast their votes, there can be a democratic beginning in the country from today," he said.

Jamaat-e-Islami chief Shafiqur Rahman, whose party leads an 11-party alliance, voted at Monipur Uchcha Vidyalaya and College and used similar language about accepting results. "We want the results that will come through a fair process. If the vote is free and impartial, we will accept the outcome. Others must also accept it. That is the beauty of democracy. This is what we want," he said.

Bangladesh elections: security, observers and new technology

The Election Commission deployed close to 1 million security personnel nationwide, described as the largest security mobilisation for any election in Bangladesh. Nearly 900,000 law enforcement staff were specifically assigned to keep order at and around polling stations and to respond quickly to any unrest or disorder.

Armoured Personnel Carriers and Rapid Action Teams patrolled key parts of Dhaka and other sensitive zones. For the first time in a national vote, drones and body-worn cameras were used to monitor security conditions and crowd movement, while control rooms tracked footage from various locations in real time.

Some 55,454 domestic observers from 81 local organisations monitored polling, alongside 394 foreign observers. Of these international monitors, 80 represented different global institutions, while the rest came from several countries, including independent observers from Europe who visited constituencies and reported back to their organisations.

Bangladesh elections: numerical snapshot and process details

The main numerical details of the Bangladesh elections and referendum are summarised below.

Voting took place alongside a referendum on an 84-point reform package, described by officials as complex and far-reaching. Polling centres were instructed to continue operating beyond official hours if voters remained inside queues, while counting started in many locations even as some centres were still processing final voters.

Bangladesh elections: blasts, clashes and reported irregularities

Despite the security presence, several violent incidents were recorded. In Gopalganj, three people, including a 13-year-old girl, were injured in an alleged hand bomb attack at the Reshma International School centre in Nichupara around 9 am, according to BDnews24, with two Ansar personnel among those hurt and later shifted to hospital.

Presiding officer Zahirul Islam described the injuries as minor and confirmed that polling resumed shortly after the attack. Hours earlier, crude bombs were reportedly exploded near seven polling centres in Gopalganj, adding to concerns about intimidation and attempts to disturb voting in the district and nearby constituencies.

In Munshiganj-3, a string of hand bomb explosions outside the Makhati Gurucharan High School centre halted voting temporarily. Officials said between 10 and 12 improvised devices went off at about 10:15 am, causing panic and forcing staff to suspend polling at the location for around 15 minutes while security forces secured the area.

Presiding Officer Md Titumir said the detonations alarmed people waiting to vote but insisted the disruption was short. "We stopped voting briefly, but it has now started again, and people are casting their ballots," he said, adding that turnout resumed once voters felt safe enough to re-enter the premises.

A Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader died near a polling centre in Khulna during a confrontation between party activists and Jamaat-e-Islami supporters. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party claimed a Jamaat leader "pushed him" into a tree, causing fatal injuries, while the Jamaat leader said the person "fell ill" amid the confusion, highlighting conflicting accounts of the death.

Bangladesh elections: arrests, allegations and reported offences

Three individuals were detained in the Kalai area of Joypurhat on suspicion of distributing photocopies of ballot papers to party activists, Ittefaq reported. Police in Dhaka also arrested a Jamaat leader for allegedly buying votes, underlining efforts by authorities to respond to potential electoral offences in urban and rural areas.

The Daily Star reported that "ballot stuffing allegations spark clash between Jamaat and BNP activists" in Sylhet’s Balaganj subdistrict. A local Jamaat figure and several others allegedly entered a polling station around midnight, and Bangladesh Nationalist Party supporters rushed there, resulting in scuffles and a security response after claims that ballot stamping began at 11:00 pm with the presiding officer’s help.

As the vote count progressed, the Bangladesh elections remained framed as a direct showdown between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami in a political field reshaped by the Awami League’s dissolution, with the interim government and observers stressing transparent procedures and public acceptance of results after a day marked by both orderly voting and sporadic unrest.