United News of Bangladesh

Barrister Rumeen Farhana, an independent candidate for the Brahmanbaria-2 constituency, on Saturday urged her supporters to guard polling centres on election day, February 12. She made the call while addressing a street rally at Shahbazpur Bazar in Sarail upazila during her election campaign in the afternoon. “You should go to the polling stations early in the morning on February 12 and remain there until vote counting is completed at night,” she said. Noting that she is contesting the election as an independent candidate, the ex-BNP leader said she does not have a large party organisation or committees to monitor the polls. “Since I do not have a big party with leaders and activists, you must take responsibility for protecting your polling centres,” she added. She said she does not differentiate among voters based on party affiliation, opinions or caste. “All voters are equal to me,” she said. Referring to her electoral symbol, the duck, she said, “A vote for the duck symbol will be a vote for the people, against injustice and in favour of development.” Sarail upazila Sramik Dal President Ayub Hossain Sardar, former upazila BNP vice-president Hossain Mia, former upazila Chhatra Dal general secretary Usman Khan and former upazila Jubo Dal organising secretary Abdul Barek were present at the rally. Farhana was expelled from the BNP in line with its zero-tolerance policy towards 'rebel' candidates.

A total of 55 people, including 22 supporters of Islami Andolan Bangladesh, joined Jamaat-e-Islami in Chuadanga on Thursday, the first day of the campaign for the 13th national parliament election. The joining ceremony was held at the football playground of Gaidghat village in Makhaldanga Union under Chuadanga Sadar Upazila, where the new members were welcomed with flower garlands. NCP officially launches election campaign from Dhaka University According to party sources, the 22 leaders joined Jamaat-e-Islami under the leadership of Shahin Ali, health affairs secretary of Makhaldanga Union Islami Andolan. Besides, 15 people led by Rana Ali and 18 other local residents also joined the party. Amir of Makhaldanga Union Jamaat-e-Islami Mohsin Ali presided over the programme. Jamaat-e-Islami’s nominated MP candidate for Chuadanga-1 constituency and district assistant secretary Masud Parvez Rusel attended the event as the chief guest. Ameer-e-Jamaat launches campaign for Dhaka-15 in Mirpur Former district Jamaat amir Anwarul Haque Malik, Sadar Upazila amir Billal Hossain, assistant secretary Shahenuzzaman, Sajibul Islam Nayan, Asir Uddin Mamun, Mamun Howlader, Dr Ahmed Monir, and other party leaders and activists were present as special guests.

Leaders of seven political parties, including Bangladesh Jatiya Party (BJP), met BNP Chairman Tarique Rahman on Wednesday and discussed the country’s overall situation and electoral issues. The meetings were held separately at the BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office, said BNP Media Cell member Sayrul Kabir Khan. The delegations were led by Bangladesh Jatiya Party–BJP Chairman Andaleeve Rahman Partho, Amjanata Party leader Mia Moshiuzzaman, NAP (Bhashani) leader Azharul Islam, Jono Odhikar Party leader Ismail Hossain Samrat, Nezami Islami Party leader AKM Ashraful Haque, Gonoforum leader Subrata Chowdhury and Democratic Left Alliance leader Harun Chowdhury.

BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami candidates in Dhaka-15 constituency have accused each other of breaching the election code of conduct following the allocation of their symbols by the returning officer. Symbols for candidates contesting in Dhaka-13 and Dhaka-15 constituencies were distributed at the Returning Officer office at the Election Training Institute in Dhaka’s Agargaon on Wednesday. BNP candidate Shafiqul Islam Khan Milton was allocated ‘Paddy Sheaf’ symbol while Jamaat’s Amir Shafiqul Rahman received  ‘Scales’ symbol. After receiving his symbol, BNP candidate Milton said, “I have come here following the code of conduct. It is unfortunate that a particular party did not adhere to it. We came with five representatives, but they brought more than ten people.” Read More: BNP, Jamaat will create unrest before polls, Tarikat chairman tells JS He alleged that Jamaat’s female activists are going door to door in Dhaka-15 collecting voters’ ID cards and mobile payment (bKash) numbers, which he described as a breach of election rules.  “This violates the code of conduct. Videos show female activists asking for NID and bKash numbers which are personal information and cannot be handed over to outsiders. When questioned, they hurried away, and later their leaders returned with 20-25 people and harassed those asking questions,” Milton said, claiming similar incidents occurred in Pirerbagh and Shewrapara. He alleged that Jamaat’s workers assaulted two BNP activists. “I personally contacted police and the military to control the situation and urge the Election Commission to ensure that everyone can vote freely and safely.” Assistant Secretary General of Jamaat Ehsanul Mahbub Zubayer said, “We hope all candidates will participate in the election and the winner will be decided through voting. We will move towards a peaceful and safe Bangladesh. Although our party faced attacks by terrorists including yesterday, we hope such incidents do not happen again. We seek a terror-free election. Since the last three elections were not held the EC must ensure a level playing field.” Read More: 19 BNP, Jamaat leaders, activists arrested in Chuadanga Responding to BNP’s allegations regarding women conducting early campaigns, Zubayer rejected the claims. “These are completely false. After the schedule was announced, we removed all campaign materials and did not wait for the EC,” he added. Zubayer further claimed that their female voters faced harassment from a particular party and expressed hope that such incidents would not recur.

The government of Bangladesh on Wednesday (January 21, 2026) launched electronic bail bond or e-bail bond management system in eight districts if the country, aiming to make the bail bond submission process easier. Law Adviser Asif Nazrul inaugurated the programme virtually from the Secretariat. The new system has been introduced simultaneously in Manikganj, Bandarban, Meherpur, Joypurhat, Moulvibazar, Panchagarh, Jhalakathi and Sherpur following the successful pilot implementation in Narayanganj. The Adviser said the e-bail bond system was first launched on a trial basis in Narayanganj on October 15 last year and has been operating with cent percent success. Read more: Election 2026: 1967 candidates left standing after withdrawals, highest since 2008 “Based on this success, we have further improved the software. Today, the e-bail bond system has been launched in eight more districts,” he said. He said the new system will save time and costs for litigants, lawyers, prison authorities and all other stakeholders involved in the bail process. Before the introduction of e-bail bonds, people had to go through multiple steps even after bail was granted, the adviser said. “As a result, litigants had to endure unnecessary loss of time, money and mental distress. In many cases, people had to remain in jail for several days or even weeks despite being granted bail. There was a lack of transparency and accountability, and it was not possible to identify where delays were occurring,” he said. Dr Asif Nazrul said the government plans to introduce the system in all 64 districts. “We still have 20 to 25 days. We will try to launch it in a few more districts during this time. We hope that within the next six months, the system will be operational in all districts,” he added. Read More: Rule of law biggest challenge despite progress: Asif Nazrul Responding to a question on whether future governments would continue the initiative, the adviser said he believes the system will be maintained as it does not involve any political controversy.

Two candidates contesting the 13th National Parliamentary Election from Feni-1 constituency, BNP candidate Rafiqul Alam Majnu and Jamaat-e-Islami's Advocate SM Kamal Uddin, have been served show-cause notices for allegedly violating the election code of conduct by campaigning on Facebook. The notices were issued on Saturday after the activities came to the attention of the Election Investigation and Judicial Committee. The committee is headed by Civil Judge Md Ehsanul Haque. According to the notice, campaign materials seeking votes for the sheaf of paddy symbol were repeatedly posted from a verified Facebook page named “Rafiqul Alam Majnu.” These included posters, banners and videos. Such activities were described as violations of Rules 3 and 18 of the Code of Conduct for Political Parties and Candidates in Parliamentary Elections, 2025. Read More: Fresh election schedule declared for Pabna-1, Pabna-2 The committee decided to launch a suo motu investigation and registered the complaint as Election Complaint No-01/2026. The notice stated that under Rule 18, there is no legal scope for candidates to conduct election campaigning before January 22, 2026. Rafiqul Alam Majnu has been asked to appear in person before the Election Investigation and Judicial Committee for Feni-1 at its temporary office at the Senior Civil Judge Court in Chhagalnaiya at 11:30am on January 21 and explain, both verbally and in writing, why legal action should not be recommended against him. In a separate notice, the committee said that posters, banners and videos of public outreach activities seeking votes for the scale symbol were circulated from Facebook pages titled “Advocate SM Kamal Uddin” and “Jononeta Kamal Bhai – Feni-1.” These actions were also termed violations of Rules 3 and 18 of the election code. The committee registered this as Election Complaint No-02/2026 and directed Advocate SM Kamal Uddin to appear before the committee at 3:00pm on January 21 at the same venue to show cause why legal action should not be taken against him. The notice warned that failure to comply would result in action under the relevant rules. Copies of both orders have been sent to the accused candidates, the district administration and returning officer, the district election officer, and the upazila nirbahi officers and assistant returning officers of Fulgazi, Parshuram and Chhagalnaiya upazilas for necessary information and action. EC’s indifference undermining fair electoral environment: Nazrul Islam Khan

Police on Tuesday blocked a march by a group of protesters under the banner of ‘July Oikya’ in front of the city’s Nirbachan Bhaban as they attempted to march towards the Election Commission (EC). The protesters were demanding the cancellation of nomination papers submitted by candidates of the Jatiya Party (Japa) and the National Democratic Front (NDF) alliance for the upcoming national election scheduled for February 12. Later, a five-member delegation from the protesters entered the Election Commission and submitted a memorandum, which was received by EC Additional Secretary KM Ali Newaz. In the memorandum, they also demanded the cancellation of nomination papers filed by candidates of the 14-party alliance, allies of the Awami League, alongside the Japa and NDF alliance candidates in the 13th parliamentary election. Read More:  BNP against EC’s move to rename local govt bodies The NDF, a newly formed political alliance launched last month, is led by a faction of the Jatiya Party chaired by Anisul Islam Mahmud and the Jatiya Party (JP) led by Anwar Hossain Manju. Anisul Islam Mahmud serves as the president of the alliance, while Anwar Hossain Manju is its chief adviser. Referring to the Jatiya Party led by Golam Mohammad (GM) Quader, the memorandum stated that the party had fielded candidates for 244 seats in the election. “Under the leadership of GM Quader, the Awami League was supported in establishing fascism,” the memorandum alleged. The protesters further claimed that the Awami League’s allies, including the Jatiya Party and the 14-party alliance, openly supported enforced disappearances, killings and genocides in Bangladesh over the past 16 years. They alleged that the 14-party alliance was involved in ‘anti-Bangladesh activities under Indian prescription’. “The demand of the July Oikya alliance, which carries the spirit of the 2024 mass uprising, is that the nominations of the genocide killers should be cancelled,” the memorandum said. The protesters also alleged that allies of the former regime still remain within the administration, including officials allegedly involved in the 2018 night-time voting and the 2024 ‘dummy’ election, who are now engaged in duties related to the 2026 election. “The July Oikya believes that it is not possible to ensure a neutral election field with this administration,” the memorandum added. Read More: Formation of ‘election commission service’ sought for EC staff The protesters began gathering around 12:30pm under the Agargaon Metro Rail Station before marching towards the Election Commission. Police set up barricades in front of the EC and deployed additional law enforcement personnel, stopping the procession near the Islamic Foundation. During the demonstration, protesters chanted slogans like ‘We do not accept the Jatiya Party in the election’.

Dhaka, the overcrowded capital city of Bangladesh, has ranked 4th on the list of cities with the worst air quality with an AQI index of 193 at 8:59 am on Saturday. Dhaka’s air was classified as ' unhealthy', according to the air quality and pollution city ranking. Senegal’s Dakar, India's Delhi and Kolkata occupied the first, second and third spots in the list, with AQI scores of 437, 246 and 206, respectively. When the AQI value for particle pollution is between 101 and 150, air quality is considered ‘unhealthy for sensitive groups’, between 150 and 200 is ‘unhealthy’, between 201 and 300 is said to be 'very unhealthy', while a reading of 301+ is considered 'hazardous', posing serious health risks to residents. Dhaka’s air quality continues to be ‘unhealthy’ The AQI, an index for reporting daily air quality, informs people how clean or polluted the air of a certain city is and what associated health effects might be a concern for them. The AQI in Bangladesh is based on five pollutants: particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5), NO2, CO, SO2, and ozone. Dhaka has long been grappling with air pollution issues. Its air quality usually turns unhealthy in winter and improves during the monsoon.  

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman met BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman on Thursday evening and expressed  condolences over the death of his mother and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. The Jamaat chief came to the BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office around 7:00pm, a day after Khaleda Zia’s burial. He first signed the condolence book opened at the office following her death, BNP Media Cell member Sayrul Kabir Khan said. Later, he met Tarique Rahman at his chamber in the presence of BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and Standing Committee members Nazrul Islam Khan, Salahuddin Ahmed and AZM Zahid Hossain. During the meeting, the Jamaat chief held a brief discussion with Tarique Rahman and conveyed his sympathy to the bereaved family. Jamaat Ameer mourns Khaleda Zia’s death Earlier, on Tuesday, a Jamaat-e-Islami delegation led by Nayeb-e-Ameer Dr Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher visited the Gulshan office, signed the condolence book and exchanged views with BNP leaders. On Wednesday, Jamaat Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman, along with other senior party leaders, also attended the namaz-e-janaza of the late BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.

Former Information Adviser Mahfuj Alam on Sunday (December 28, 2025) said he will not join the National Citizen Party (NCP) because of its alliance with Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. In a post on his verified Facebook account at night, Mahfuj said his respect, affection and friendship for his 'July comrades' remain intact, but he has decided to stay away from the party. “Under the present reality, my respect, affection and friendship for my July comrades will not be erased. But I am not becoming part of the NCP,” he wrote. Mahfuj said he was offered the opportunity to contest the election as a candidate of the Jamaat–NCP alliance, but he was not interested. Read more: NCP joined Jamaat-led alliance to protect ‘July Generation’, says Nahid “Maintaining my long-standing position is far more important to me than becoming a Jamaat–NCP alliance candidate in any constituency in Dhaka,” he said. Raising questions over how far the NCP upholds the ideals of July, Mahfuj wrote that he has long spoken about a new political and economic order, a cultural struggle against fascism, confronting social fascism, reconciliation and building a society based on responsibility and empathy. “These are ideas that my July comrades have repeatedly spoken about from within those two organisations. But did they truly internalise them?” he questioned. He said he made every effort to establish NCP as an independent, broad-based 'big July umbrella', but that attempt failed for various reasons. Describing the current phase of history as a 'cold war' for Bangladesh, Mahfuj said it is wiser at this moment to avoid taking sides and instead remain firm in one’s own principles and positions. “The possibility of an alternative July force has not yet ended. Rather, I will continue to uphold what I have said and the principles I have believed in over the last one and a half years — through political, cultural and intellectual means. If you care to join me, you are most welcome," he said.  Read more: NCP finally joins Jamaat-led alliance, Jamaat Ameer announces new coalition He also said a new political and economic order is both possible and realistic, adding that the rise of an alternative, moderate July force is very close. Speculation had been rife throughout the week about the NCP joining a Jamaat-led alliance. On Sunday afternoon, Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman formally announced the new coalition with NCP. In a separate press briefing, NCP Convener Nahid Islam said the decision to join hands with Jamaat and like-minded groups was taken in the interest of broader unity. Meanwhile, opposing the Jamaat alliance, two central NCP leaders — Tasnim Jara and Tajnuva Jabeen — have resigned from the party. Another central committee member, Monira Sharmin, has announced her withdrawal from the election, though she has not formally resigned. Read more: ‘I won’t resign, though NCP deviated from founding goal’: Samantha