Political unrest is boiling over in Bangladesh just months before the 2026 general elections, as Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) activists encircled the Election Commission’s headquarters in Dhaka’s Agargaon area on Sunday. The bold move protests what protesters deem as corrupt and partisan postal ballot policies.
According to reports, JCD members, numbering in the hundreds, rallied against the EC’s decisions marred by political favoritism. Under the leadership of Rakibul Islam, they stood firm outside security perimeters, raising anti-EC slogans amid heightened security presence.
Authorities ramped up deployments with police, RAB, navy, and Ansar forces surrounding the building. Anti-riot gear, including water cannons, was positioned strategically to prevent escalation.
The student group’s grievances center on three fronts: suspicious postal ballot rulings favoring certain interests, overt political meddling in EC processes, and a contentious directive on SUST student elections perceived as rigged under party influence.
In a fiery speech, Rakibul Islam alleged that a dominant political faction manipulated postal ballots, forcing the EC’s hand despite reform recommendations. He decried the ballot handling as haphazard, comparing it to unsecured mail drops in student hostels where votes could be pilfered. Specifically, he pointed to 160 ballots crammed into one container and handed out indiscriminately.
This uproar follows a viral video exposing bulk postal ballots funneled to one Bahrain address, intensifying public scrutiny. EC officials clarified that postal discrepancies stem from regional systems in the Middle East, but critics remain unconvinced.
With internal party rifts and electoral doubts plaguing the nation, Sunday’s siege signals a brewing storm. The incident highlights systemic flaws that could undermine the democratic process unless urgently rectified, leaving observers watching closely for the EC’s next steps.