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Published : 04 Feb 2026, 12:37 PM
Postal ballot registration in Cumilla has reached 111,550 across 11 constituencies, with 9,127 ballots already returned from voters abroad.
District Election Officer Sheikh Md Habibur Rahman confirmed that the tally includes 103,255 men and 8,295 women, with the highest concentration - 13,938 - recorded in the Cumilla-10 (Nangalkot-Lalmai) seat.
Expatriates, government officials, and voters on election duty have also been included in the postal ballot system.
Two separate venues in Cumilla have been designated to count postal votes across 11 centres, with 487 officials assigned, Rahman added.
Counting will begin at 4:30pm on polling day in the presence of candidates’ agents.
CONSTITUENCY-WISE BREAKDOWN
Cumilla-1 (Daudkandi–Meghna) has 8,599 registered postal voters, including 7,699 men and 900 women.
Cumilla-2 (Homna–Titas) has 7,290 voters, with 6,645 men and 645 women.
Cumilla-3 (Muradnagar) has 9,498 voters, including 8,907 men and 591 women.
Cumilla-4 (Debidwar) has 10,105 voters, of whom 9,389 are men and 716 women.
Cumilla-5 (Burichang–Brahmanpara) has 12,330 voters, including 11,300 men and 1,030 women.
Cumilla-6 (Adarsha Sadar–City Corporation–Sadar South) has 11,916 voters, with 10,551 men and 1,365 women.
Cumilla-7 (Chandina) has 5,722 voters, including 5,391 men and 331 women.
Cumilla-8 (Barura) has 8,448 voters, of whom 7,997 are men and 451 women.
Cumilla-9 (Laksam–Monoharganj) has 11,163 voters, including 10,461 men and 694 women.
Cumilla-10 (Nangalkot–Lalmai) leads with 13,938 voters, comprising 13,094 men and 844 women.
Cumilla-11 (Chauddagram) has 12,541 voters, including 11,813 men and 728 women.
VOTERS’ VOICES
Anisur Rahman, an expatriate in Saudi Arabia and proprietor of Afsu Tours and Travels, said overseas Bangladeshis had long felt excluded from elections.
He said the introduction of postal ballots has eased that frustration, though he has heard of errors due to the system being used for the first time.
He welcomed the move, saying expatriate votes should play a role in forming the government.
Another expatriate voter, Khorshed Alam Nayeem, said being unable to vote while living abroad had been a long-standing regret.
He said registering for a postal ballot has finally allowed him to take part in the parliamentary election and expressed hope that his vote would contribute to the country.
ADMINISTRATIVE PROCESS
On Tuesday, postal ballots received by mail were seen being scanned and stored under the supervision of Returning Officer and Deputy Commissioner Md Reza Hasan at his Cumilla district office.
He said two venues have been designated in Cumilla to count postal ballots, similar to centre-based vote counting.
Separate rooms will be used to count ballots from the 11 constituencies, with one polling official assigned for every 300 ballots. Candidates’ agents will be present throughout the process, he added.
Election officials said counting postal ballots may take longer than regular votes.
Candidates have been informed not to rely solely on preliminary results from polling centres and to wait for postal ballot results before final outcomes are declared.
Officer Reza said the scanning of postal ballots began on Feb 2, with ballots received from post offices scanned and uploaded to the Election Commission (EC) website before being sealed in ballot boxes and stored in the treasury.
Ballots received until 4:30pm on Feb 12 will be processed in the same way.
He noted that 364 postal ballots were received on the first day, followed by more than 9,000 on the second day, all of which are being registered through QR scanning on the commission’s website.
He also urged postal voters to follow procedures carefully, warning that ballots not scanned before voting could fail to match the system during verification.
Jahirul Islam Shanto, deputy editor of the daily Cumillar Kagoj, said Cumilla’s large expatriate population has driven up postal ballot numbers.
He said with an average of 8,000 to 10,000 postal votes per constituency, the ballots could prove decisive in hotly contested seats.
He said the EC and returning officers must exercise the “highest level” of caution during counting, particularly in constituencies where tight races are expected.
