Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal is set to address the nation and announce the schedule for the upcoming general election at 7 pm today, the Election Commission has said. Bangladesh Television and Bangladesh Betar will broadcast the CEC’s speech in the evening, EC Secretary Jahangir Alam said while briefing reporters this morning. Read: Unique Group, DNCC sign deal; Sheraton to run in full swing  Before announcing the polls schedule, a meeting will be held at the Election Commission at 5 pm today. The CEC will hold the 26th meeting of the Election Commission, said the EC secretary. The dates of nomination paper submission, evaluation, and withdrawal of candidature will be finalised at the meeting, he said. A three-tier security system has been set up at the Election Commission building on the occasion of the announcement of the next general election's schedule. Read: No scope left for dialogue now: Quader acknowledges receiving Donald Lu’s letter from Peter Haas  Apart from police, RAB and Ansar personnel have been deployed in front of the Election Commission building. Entry of visitors has been restricted inside the building. The CEC is going to announce the polls schedule amid the ongoing 48-hour blockade called by BNP, Jamaat and like-minded opposition parties to press home their one-point demand. The Election Commission is determined to hold the next general election within the stipulated time as per its constitutional obligation, CEC Kazi Habibul Awal had said earlier. Read: Films can be part of cultural revolution to beat back arson terrorism: Info Minister  The 11th national election was held on December 30, 2018. According to the constitution, the tenure of the current government will end on January 29, 2024. A total of 11,96,91,633 voters are expected to cast their votes at 42,103 polling centres across the country in the 12th general election of Bangladesh.  

Another 48-hour blockade, called by BNP, Jamaat and like-minded opposition parties to press home their one point demand, began this morning (November 15, 2023) with traffic movement on the streets. The latest blockade started at 6 am today and will end at 6 am on Friday. Dhaka city is witnessing an increase in vehicular movement and commuters on the streets. People were seen rushing to their respective destinations. Rickshaws are dominating the city roads. 48-hour blockade: Two buses set ablaze in Gazipur Earlier on Tuesday, miscreants set four buses on fire in Dhaka’s Mirpur area ahead of the blockade called by BNP, Jamaat and like-minded opposition parties. Meanwhile in Chattogram city, Awami League and its associate bodies will hold peace rallies at 19 points against BNP-Jamaat’s blockade. The points include Darul Fazal Market premises, Kathgarh, Saltgola crossing, Badamtoli, Bohaddarhat, Naya Bazar, AK Khan, City Gate, Wasa, Muradpur, Kaptai Road, Oxygen, Aman Bazar, Moti Tower, Bakolia Access Road, Natun Bridge, Andorkilla and Dewanhat intersection. After a pause for a day, BNP and like-minded opposition parties called yet another 48-hour countrywide road-rail-waterway blockade beginning from Wednesday to mount pressure on the Awami League government to quit power and hold the next election under a non-partisan administration. 228 BGB platoons deployed to beef up security across the country amid BNP-Jamaat's 48hr blockade BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi announced the programme at a virtual press briefing on Monday afternoon. BNP and other opposition parties, including Jamaat-e-Islami, have been enforcing blockades across the country since Oct 31. BNP’s like-minded parties announce fresh 48-hour blockade from Wednesday