Mobile Phones Banned Inside Polling Stations During National Election

Voters will not be allowed to carry mobile phones into polling stations during the 13th National Parliamentary Election and the national referendum, according to an official announcement from the Election Commission.

The notice, issued on Sunday, states that mobile phones will be prohibited within a 400-yard radius of polling centers.

While ordinary voters must follow this restriction, three categories of officials will be permitted to carry mobile phones inside polling stations. These include the presiding officer, the police officer in charge of the polling center, and two members of Ansar or VDP assigned to the center who use the “Election Security 2026” application.

Voting in the national election will take place on Thursday, February 12, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. without any breaks.

More than 42,000 polling centers and nearly 250,000 voting booths have been set up across all 64 districts. Voting will be held in 299 out of 300 parliamentary constituencies. Polling in Sherpur-3 will not take place due to the death of a candidate.

A total of 51 registered political parties are participating in the election.