Bank officials on polls duty set to miss voting

Bank officials assigned to polls duties will be unable to cast their votes in the upcoming parliamentary election due to delays in receiving official letters required for registration under the postal ballot system, with contradictory statements from the Election Commission (EC), banks concerned, and Bangladesh Bank deepening the confusion.

In the election billed for 12 February, nearly 5,000 officials from six state-owned banks will perform duties. Officials from private banks have not been assigned such responsibilities this time. 

However, most officials of the state-owned banks failed to register for postal voting within the stipulated deadline, as they did not receive the EC’s official letters in time.

While the EC claims it dispatched the letters within the required timeframe, bank officials and authorities paint a different picture.

The situation became more complicated when Bangladesh Bank issued a directive on 15 January – 10 days after the registration deadline had expired on 5 January.

The directive instructed bank officers and employees engaged in election duties to complete registration through the “Postal Vote BD” app immediately. The initiative aimed to ensure transparent voting for frontline election officials through a digital process. 

Inquiries revealed that while some branches in Dhaka received instructions, many branches outside the capital have yet to receive any instructions.

Ziaur Rahman, an officer of Agrani Bank in Narsingdi, told the Daily Sun, “We received the registration letter on 21 January. By then, the deadline had already passed. We were not informed in advance that we would be assigned election duties. I received the letter just two days ago.”

When asked, Sonali Bank Managing Director Shawkat Ali Khan said, “Our bank received the letter on 8 January. Some officials registered on their own initiative, but most could not. When we contacted the Election Commission, we were told there was no scope to extend the deadline. However, if any special consideration is made, those left out may still get a chance.” Brig Gen (retd) Saleem Ahmad Khan, team leader of the EC’s “Out of Country Voting System and Implementation (OCV-SDI)” project, said the EC did not delay the process. 

He stated that two rounds of official letters were sent to relevant authorities to encourage registration, with the final letter – dated 30 December 2025 – sent to Bangladesh Bank and other institutions five days before the extended 5 January deadline.

Saleem questioned why the central bank issued its directive 10 days after the deadline had already ended, adding that advertisements and notices were published in various media well in advance.

BB Executive Director and Spokesperson Arif Hussain Khan told the Daily Sun that the EC directly communicated with individual banks and that the central bank had no role in the process. “Issuing the circular late should not have caused any problem, as it was a routine task,” he said.

According to bank officials, most of the nearly 5,000 bank employees assigned to election duties nationwide will be unable to vote this time due to the failure to register in time.

Sadeq Hossain, an official at Janata Bank’s head office, said, “The registration deadline was 5 January, but I received the letter on 10 January. As a result, I was deprived of my right to vote. Most officials faced the same problem.” 

“I received the letter on 5 January and hurriedly registered on the last day. But many of our officials could not register because they received the letters later,” said Raihan Khan, an officer of Rupali Bank. Stakeholders say depriving bank officials of voting rights due to delayed letters is a serious issue that exposes weaknesses in the electoral process. 

Although the EC has introduced postal ballot voting on a large scale using information technology for the first time, timely delivery of ballots and proper submission remain challenging, depriving many officials of their voting right.

Election observers believe the EC must develop a more advanced and user-friendly digital platform so that officials can easily receive and return ballots.

Munira Khan, president of Fair Election Monitoring Alliance (FEMA), said if tasks are carried out according to a roadmap with clear accountability, responsible officials can be held answerable. 

She added that the banks concerned should take the initiative. “Otherwise, equal opportunity for all will not be ensured, and citizens will be deprived of their rights.”

According to the EC, more than 1.5 million voters at home and abroad have registered to vote via postal ballots in this election, including 761,000 domestic voters.

In addition to bank officials and government employees on election duty, members of law enforcement agencies, prisoners, and expatriate Bangladeshis are also eligible to vote under the postal ballot system.