Voters, journalists allowed to carry mobile phones at polling centres: EC

Election Commissioner Brigadier General (retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanauallah has said journalists and election observers will be allowed to carry mobile phones inside polling centres on the day of voting in the February 12 parliamentary election and referendum.

He made the statement while speaking to reporters on Monday after inspecting the results booth at the Election Commission building in Agargaon, Dhaka. “Journalists and observers will not face any problem if they enter polling centres with mobile phones,” he said.

Earlier, the Election Commission had issued a directive banning the carrying and use of mobile phones within a 400-yard radius of polling centres on voting day. The directive, signed by Senior Assistant Secretary of the Election Commission Secretariat Md Shahidul Islam, was sent to returning officers on Sunday.

According to the directive, only three categories of officials would be permitted to carry mobile phones inside polling centres: the presiding officer of the concerned centre, the police officer responsible for centre security, and two Ansar members assigned to use the ‘Election Security 2026’ app (embedded Ansar/general Ansar/VDP).

Through the official letter, divisional commissioners of Dhaka and Chattogram, deputy commissioners of all 64 districts, and 69 returning officers—including regional election officers of Dhaka, Chattogram and Khulna—were instructed to strictly implement the directive.

Following the decision, concerns grew among journalists as the ban effectively restricted candidates and media personnel from carrying and using mobile phones within 400 yards of polling centres on voting day. In response, the Reporters Forum for Election and Democracy (RFED) met Election Commission Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed on Monday and protested the restriction on journalists.

The Election Commission revised its stance following protests from journalists’ organisations and criticism from political parties.