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Published : 09 Feb 2026, 01:21 AM
Twenty former ministers, MPs, senior officials and journalists currently in custody have cast their votes in the national election through postal ballots.
Forty such inmates had registered to vote, Inspector General of Prisons Brig Gen Syed Md Motaher Hossain said on Sunday night.
“Of these, 20 have refused to vote. The rest have cast ballots as per rules,” he said.
The prisons chief declined to disclose names of those who registered or voted.
Asked why some abstained, he said: “They fear the Election Commission could trace who they voted for. They told us they were unwilling to take that risk.”
Postal ballots require voters to sign or provide fingerprints alongside the ballot paper’s serial number.
Motaher said inmates feared this could reveal their choices.
“We informed the Election Commission of their concerns. The Commission said voting information would not be disclosed. Even then, 20 did not trust the process,” he added.
Across 72 prisons, 250 inmates from the previous Awami League government hold division status, including 160 former ministers or MPs.
According to the Prisons Directorate, a significant number of current inmates were arrested following the fall of the government during the mass uprising of 2024.
Bangladesh’s prisons have a combined capacity of 43,000 inmates.
As of Aug 5, 2024, the prison population stood at around 48,000.
Over the past 17 months, that number has risen to 85,000.
Assistant Inspector General of Prison Jannat Ul Forhad told bdnews24.com 5,960 inmates nationwide are voting by postal ballot this time.
