"At noon, the Udoyan High School polling station in the capital was nearly empty."

Dhaka, 12 February 2026 — Despite being in the midst of the 13th National Parliamentary Election and concurrent referendum voting, Udayan High School, one of Dhaka’s well-known polling centres, witnessed a notably sparse turnout at midday on Thursday.

Election officials at the centre reported that although voting commenced promptly in the morning, the number of voters had noticeably dwindled by noon. Of the roughly 1,000 registered voters assigned to the centre, only a small fraction had cast their ballots by 10:00 am. By 12:00 pm, the interior of the polling station appeared almost empty, with many booths remaining unoccupied for extended periods.

A senior polling officer at the centre commented, “The early morning hours saw moderate activity, but by midday the pace had significantly slowed. Most booths remained unattended for long stretches, though the voting process itself is proceeding smoothly.”

Outside the polling station, the atmosphere was calm, with no reports of disturbances. Security personnel were visibly deployed throughout the area, maintaining strict control over access points and crowd management. Despite these measures, some local voters expressed surprise at the low turnout.

Residents cited various reasons for their delayed participation. Some mentioned scheduling conflicts with work or household responsibilities, while others indicated concerns over the ongoing weather conditions and travel inconvenience. A few voters speculated that the slow midday turnout might be a temporary dip, anticipating an increase later in the afternoon as more voters completed their chores or returned from work.

The Election Commission has previously emphasised that voter engagement tends to fluctuate throughout the day, with peak voting typically occurring in the early morning and late afternoon. Officials urged citizens to utilise the remaining hours to cast their votes.

For reference, the turnout at Udayan High School is summarised below:

Election officials expect a gradual increase as the day progresses, but emphasised that proactive voter participation remains critical for a robust democratic process.