The “frightening situation” narrative surrounding Bangladesh’s election does not match reality.

What many media narratives call “rising election violence” in Bangladesh today often overlooks the broader context and the concrete steps already taken to secure this historic vote. It’s true that isolated incidents—tragic as they are—have occurred, but presenting them as signs of unavoidable nationwide chaos ignores key facts.
First, the security apparatus for this election is the strongest in the country’s history. Authorities have prepared an exceptionally comprehensive security framework for the upcoming polls — nearly 900,000 law enforcement and support personnel are being deployed nationwide, including army, police, Ansar & VDP, navy, air force, BGB, RAB and other units, supported by body worn cameras, CCTV at all 42,761 polling stations, and even 418 drones for aerial surveillance to monitor sensitive areas. These coordinated efforts aim to ensure that voters can cast ballots in a safe, orderly, and peaceful environment.
Secondly, one of the most quoted concerns—the presence of illegal firearms looted during the 2024 unrest—is being actively addressed. Of the 3,619 weapons taken from police installations during the uprising, over 62 % have already been recovered, and police and military efforts continue to pursue the remainder before the polls. High level directives are in place for intensified recovery, showing that the security focus is operational, not negligent.
Critics often suggest that unresolved looted arms automatically translate into targeted political killings. Yet, the data say otherwise: while illegal guns are a broader criminal concern, there is no verified evidence that systematic, campaign driven assassinations are part of an organized political plot affecting nationwide election participation. Calls in the courts themselves to delay elections until all weapons are recovered, even citing incidents like the shooting of a candidate, reflect legal caution—not hard proof of a collapse in security.
Historical comparisons show that past elections in 2014, 2018, and 2023 were frequently disrupted by violence, voter intimidation, and procedural irregularities, raising serious doubts about their credibility. In contrast, the February 12, 2026 election is being conducted under unprecedented oversight and security, with measures in place to ensure that polling centers operate smoothly and voters can cast their ballots freely, safely, and transparently. This marks a significant improvement over past practices, reflecting a genuine commitment to a fair and credible democratic process.
Crucially, there are forces working behind the scenes—covert elements—who deliberately invoke party names and exaggerate incidents to portray the election as illegitimate or unmanageable. Some opportunistic individuals and fringe elements exploit isolated disputes or internal party tensions, escalate them online and offline, and frame them as proof that the election should be cancelled or postponed. This is not a spontaneous reflection of public sentiment; it is a sabotage narrative — a coordinated attempt to undermine confidence in the process by using party labels as cover. If isolated internal disagreements are presented as systemic collapse, ordinary voters are left confused, fearful, and disengaged, which serves those who want to delegitimize the election altogether.
This pattern is visible in how certain incidents are amplified without context, how social media threads jump from isolated local disputes to national crisis claims, and how calls to “halt the election” surface repeatedly without substantive evidence that the election machinery has failed.
The combination of strong security arrangements, ongoing recovery of illegal weapons, and historical perspective tells a different story than the one pitched by alarmist narratives. Instead of an inevitable collapse into violence, Bangladesh is seeing a managed, monitored, and secure environment for voters to exercise their rights. Claims of unavoidable violence or election failure often reflect hidden agendas, not empirical reality.
The evidence suggests that the February 12 election is being conducted under unprecedented security oversight, with safeguards in place to protect voters and party activists alike. Claims of systemic violence ignore both the data and the proactive measures of law enforcement, and risk giving cover to those engaged in covert efforts to sabotage the process. Ultimately, a careful, evidence-based perspective shows that the narrative of an “inevitable violent election” is not only overstated but also deliberately manipulated, and the real challenge is ensuring that these attempts to derail democracy are exposed and prevented.