Desk News || The 13th National Parliamentary Election and Referendum-2026 will be held tomorrow, Thursday (February 12). Voting will take place simultaneously in 299 parliamentary constituencies across the country from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm without interruption.The Election Commission (EC) has cancelled the election in Sherpur-3 constituency following the death of a Jamaat-e-Islami candidate. As a result, voting will be conducted in the remaining 299 constituencies.Extensive Security Measures in PlaceElection officials have stated that comprehensive security arrangements have been completed to ensure a peaceful voting process nationwide.Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud said that around 9 lakh (900,000) members of law enforcement agencies have been deployed across the country. Among them, 103,000 members of the armed forces are on duty. Members of police, BGB, RAB, Ansar and Village Defence Party, Coast Guard, Navy, and Air Force are also deployed to maintain law and order.For the first time in a national election, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), drones, and body-worn cameras are being used for security monitoring, said Election Commissioner Brigadier General (Retd.) Abul Fazal Md. Sanaullah.Call for Voter ParticipationElection Commissioners have urged voters to come to polling stations in a festive and peaceful atmosphere to exercise their democratic rights. Special emphasis has been placed on encouraging young voters to actively participate in the election.The EC expressed optimism that the law and order situation remains normal and that voting day will also remain peaceful.Voter and Polling Centre InformationA total of 42,779 polling centres have been set up nationwide, with 247,482 polling booths prepared for voting.The total number of voters in 299 constituencies stands at 127,711,893. Among them: Male voters: 64,825,361 Female voters: 62,885,200 Third gender voters: 1,232 The lowest number of voters is in Jhalokathi-1 constituency (228,431), while the highest number is in Gazipur-2 constituency (804,333).Candidates and Political PartiesA total of 50 political parties are participating in this election. There are 2,028 candidates contesting in total. Party-nominated candidates: 1,755 Independent candidates: 273 Female candidates: 83 (63 party-nominated and 20 independent) Among the political parties, BNP has nominated the highest number of candidates — 291. Ten registered political parties have not nominated any candidates in this election.Dhaka-12 constituency has the highest number of candidates (15), while Pirojpur-1 has the lowest (2 candidates).Election Officials and MagistratesNearly 800,000 election officials will perform duties during the election. These include: 69 Returning Officers 598 Assistant Returning Officers 42,779 Presiding Officers 247,482 Assistant Presiding Officers 495,964 Polling Officers Additionally, 2,098 Executive Magistrates and 657 Judicial Magistrates have been appointed to oversee election-related matters.Observers and International PresenceA total of 55,454 observers from 81 domestic organizations will monitor the election. Internationally, 540 foreign observers and journalists from various countries and organizations have arrived in Bangladesh.Among them are representatives from the European Union (223 observers), Commonwealth (25), International Republican Institute (12), Asian Network for Free Elections, and other international bodies. Representatives from different election commissions and institutions have also been invited.Postal VotingFor postal voting through the BD Mobile App, 1,533,684 voters registered, including both overseas (OCV) and in-country (ICPV) voters.* Overseas registered voters: 772,546* In-country registered voters: 761,138As of this morning, 580,665 domestic voters and 481,185 overseas voters have already cast their postal ballots.Transport RestrictionsTo ensure security, certain vehicle movements have been restricted.From midnight on February 11 to midnight on February 12, taxi cabs, pickup vans, microbuses, and trucks are prohibited from operating. Motorcycle movement has been restricted from midnight on February 10 to midnight on February 13.