DHAKA, Feb 12, 2026 (BSS) - The counting of votes has begun as the voting in 13th National Parliamentary Election and the Referendum concluded peacefully at 4:30pm today. Election Commission (EC) Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said around 48 percent voter turnout was recorded till 2 pm nationwide. Earlier, voting began at 7:30 am across 42,779 polling centres in 299 constituencies nationwide. A total of 12,77,11,793 voters were registered to cast their ballots, including 6,48,25,361 males, 6,28,85,200 females, and 1,232 from the third gender.  Top leaders of different political parties contesting in the polls cast their votes at their respective polling centers this morning.  BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman cast his vote at Gulshan Model High School and College centre in the capital around 9:30 am, while Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman cast his ballot at Monipur High School and College.  Witnesses said a tight security vigil was enforced in polling centres in the capital and elsewhere in 299 of the 300 constituencies in the country as the EC canceled voting in Sherpur-3 seat following the death of a candidate.  EC official sources said nearly 900,000 law enforcement personnel were deployed to enforce the security vigil to prevent violence and maintain order during the voting and thereafter while 2,098 executive and 657 judicial magistrates were appointed to perform election duties. The magistrates are on duty for five days starting from Tuesday. The election pitted BNP against Jamaat-e-Islami as the main contenders while the event is expected to end the 18-month rule of Professor Muhammad Yunus-led interim government. EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed earlier at a briefing said 50 political parties were contesting in the polls, with 2,028 candidates in total, including 273 independents, while BNP fielded the highest number of candidates - 291. He said a total of 83 female candidates were contesting in the polls. According to the EC, some 800,000 officials, apart from those involved in security and law and order, were on election duties. They include 69 returning officers, 598 assistant returning officers, 42,779 presiding officers, 247,482 assistant presiding officers and 4,95,964 polling officers. Besides, About 15,000 officials are engaged in postal voting duties. EC officials earlier said that of the security personnel deployed, 103,000 are army troops, 8,500 navy sailors and airmen, alongside 37,453 paramilitary BGB soldiers and 3,585 paramilitary Coast Guard members. The number of policemen on poll duty is 187,603, while RAB personnel number 9,349. The highest number of law enforcement personnel has been drawn from Ansar, with personnel numbering 5,67,868.  Some 55,454 observers from 81 local organizations have monitored the elections while the number of foreign poll monitors was 394. Nearly 200 foreign journalists arrived in Bangladesh to observe the elections and the referendum. Of the international observers, 80 represent various international organizations, while the rest come from different countries, including independent European observers.