Desk News || Voting for Bangladesh’s 13th parliamentary elections began across the country at 7:30am today, alongside a referendum on the interim government’s reform proposals. From early morning, voters were seen lining up at polling centres to cast their ballots.Election officials and witnesses reported that strict security arrangements are in place at voting centres in Dhaka and other regions. Polling is being conducted in 299 constituencies after the Election Commission (EC) suspended voting in Sherpur-3 due to the death of a candidate.Election Commissioner Abdur Rahmanel Masud said comprehensive preparations had been completed to ensure the election is held in a peaceful, fair and orderly environment. Nearly 900,000 members of law enforcement agencies have been deployed nationwide to prevent violence and maintain security throughout the voting period and afterward.In addition, 2,098 executive magistrates and 657 judicial magistrates have been assigned election duties. These magistrates will remain active for five days starting Tuesday.The contest is largely viewed as a key political showdown between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami. The election is also expected to conclude the 18-month tenure of the interim government led by Professor Muhammad Yunus.Masud encouraged voters to participate enthusiastically, expressing hope that turnout would increase throughout the day, particularly among young and first-time voters. Another Election Commissioner, Anwarul Islam Sarkar, confirmed that all logistical, administrative and security preparations had been completed. He predicted voter participation could reach around 55 percent.According to EC data, voting is taking place at 42,779 polling centres nationwide, covering 247,482 polling booths. A total of 12,77,11,893 voters are registered across the 299 constituencies, including 6,48,25,361 men, 6,28,85,200 women and 1,232 voters identified as third gender.EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said 50 political parties are participating in the election, with 2,028 candidates contesting seats, including 273 independents. BNP has fielded the largest number of candidates-291- while 83 female candidates are in the race.Approximately 800,000 election officials are working at polling stations in addition to security personnel. This includes 69 returning officers, 598 assistant returning officers, 42,779 presiding officers, 247,482 assistant presiding officers and 4,95,964 polling officers. Around 15,000 additional officials are handling postal voting responsibilities.Election Commissioner retired Brigadier General Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah said that advanced monitoring tools, including drones, unmanned aerial vehicles and body-worn cameras, are being used for the first time to strengthen surveillance. Security deployment includes over 9,58,000 personnel drawn from Ansar, police, the armed forces and RAB.Breakdowns from EC sources show 103,000 army members, 8,500 navy personnel, 37,453 Border Guard Bangladesh troops and 3,585 Coast Guard members are on duty. Police personnel number 187,603, while 9,349 RAB members are deployed. The largest contingent - 5,67,868- comes from the Ansar force. Additionally, 1,922 Bangladesh National Cadet Corps members are assisting with maintaining order.Monitoring efforts include 55,454 domestic observers representing 81 local organisations, along with 394 foreign observers. Nearly 200 international journalists have also arrived to cover the elections and referendum.International observer missions include representatives from organisations such as ANFREL, the Commonwealth Secretariat, the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, ICAPP and the European External Action Service.Observers from 21 countries, including Pakistan, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey, Iran, Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, Uzbekistan, South Africa and Nigeria , are present. Additionally, 51 independent observers affiliated with various international civic organisations are monitoring the process. Officials say the combined domestic and international presence reflects a broad effort to ensure transparency and credibility throughout the election process.