DHAKA, Feb 12, 2026 (BSS) - The voting in the country's 13th parliamentary elections simultaneously with a referendum on the interim government's reform package started nationwide at 7:30am today with people queuing up in lines to cast their ballots. 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 Election Commission (EC) canceled voting in Sherpur-3 seat following the death of a candidate.  "All-out preparations and extensive security measures have been taken across the country to stage the polls in a free, fair and peaceful manner," Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud told BSS. He 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 pits Bangladesh Nationalist Party (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. Masud urged voters to come to the polling centres to exercise their right to vote in a festive atmosphere and expected the turnout to be huge in coming hours as many people did not get the opportunity to vote for a long time. He also expected young or first-time voters to turn out in huge numbers. Election Commissioner Anwarul Islam Sarkar earlier told BSS that the EC by now completed all required preparations by taking necessary administrative, technical and security measures. "The main thing now is for voters to go to the polling stations and exercise their voting rights," he said. Sarkar said the EC deployed the highest number of security and law enforcement personnel in the country's electoral history to ensure overall security in the elections and predicted the voter turnout to be as high as 55 percent.  According to the EC statistics, voting is being held at 42,779 polling centres across the country, with 247,482 polling rooms, while the commission has enrolled 12,77,11,893 voters in 299 constituencies. Of the voters, 6,48,25,36 are males, 6,28,85,200 are females and 1,232 are third gender. 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 are contesting in the polls. According to the EC, some 800,000 officials, apart from those involved in security and law and order, are on election duty. They include 69 returning officers, 598 assistant returning officers, 42,779 presiding officers, 247,482 assistant presiding officers and 4,95,964 polling officers. In addition, about 15,000 officials are engaged in charge of postal voting. Election Commissioner retired Brigadier General Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah said that, apart from the deployment of over 9,58,000 Ansar, police, army and RAB personnel, the commission is using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), drones and body-worn cameras for security personnel for surveillance for the first time. 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. A total of 1,922 Bangladesh National Cadet Corps (BNCC) members are on the field to assist in maintaining order. Some 55,454 observers from 81 local organizations are monitoring the elections while the number of foreign poll monitors is 394. Nearly 200 foreign journalists have arrived in Bangladesh to observe the elections and the referendum. Of the international observers, 80 represent various international organisations, while the rest come from different countries, including independent European observers. Major international organisations that sent observers include the Asian Network for Free Elections (ANFREL), the Commonwealth Secretariat, the US-based International Republican Institute (IRI), and the National Democratic Institute (NDI). Other organisations include the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP), and the European External Action Service. Observers have arrived from 21 countries, including Pakistan (8), Bhutan (2), Sri Lanka (11), Nepal (1), Indonesia (3), the Philippines (2), Malaysia (6), Jordan (2), Turkey (13), Iran (3), Georgia (2), Russia (2), China (3), Japan (4), South Korea (2), Kyrgyzstan (2), Uzbekistan (2), South Africa (2), and Nigeria (4). Fifty-one observers representing organisations such as Voice for Justice, Democracy International, SNAS Africa, the SAARC Human Rights Foundation, and the Polish Institute of International Affairs are monitoring the election in their individual capacities, according to information from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Election Commission.