Bangladesh’s political landscape is fracturing ahead of the 2026 elections, with Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) launching a high-stakes protest by encircling the Election Commission in Dhaka on Sunday. The action spotlights outrage over postal ballot mismanagement and perceived EC partisanship.
Led by Rakibul Islam, droves of JCD activists amassed around the Agargaon facility, hurling accusations of favoritism. In response, a multi-agency security blanket—police, RAB, navy, Ansar—descended, complete with water cannons and riot control units to hold the line.
JCD outlined a trio of indictments: dubious postal ballot policies riddled with bias, political puppeteering in EC operations, and a scandalous SUST student election notice allegedly dictated by external party pressures.
Islam’s address pulled no punches, accusing a political cabal of hijacking postal votes and compelling EC compliance, ignoring reform pleas. He mocked the ballot delivery as laughably lax—like hostel junk mail ripe for theft—with 160 papers stuffed in one box for outsider grabs.
The demonstration erupted post a social media bombshell: video evidence of prolific ballots mailed to one Bahrain spot. The EC countered on January 14, pinning it on international postal variances, particularly Middle East bundling of 160 items per box.
Against a backdrop of internal party strife, this standoff exposes electoral vulnerabilities. For Bangladesh’s democracy to endure, the EC must confront these allegations head-on, implementing verifiable changes to rebuild trust before the polls ignite wider chaos.