BNP Demands Action Over Viral Ballot Video

A video has recently gone viral online, showing several individuals counting Bangladesh’s 13th parliamentary election postal ballots inside a residential property. The envelopes in the footage are marked with addresses in Bahrain, suggesting they belong to expatriate voters. The incident has raised concerns about the transparency of postal voting for citizens living abroad.

On Tuesday, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) demanded legal action from the Election Commission (EC), claiming that leaders of a “particular political party” were involved in handling the ballots.

The primary video is seven minutes and thirty-two seconds long, depicting people counting ballots. Voices in the video can be heard warning the cameraman: “Why are you filming? Don’t post this on Facebook. We don’t need this footage.” Another person adds: “Don’t disturb, no one will post it online.”

At one point, a voice mentions that multiple recordings could spread the footage on social media, potentially harming reputations and possibly disrupting postal voting from Bahrain. A fact-check confirms that the video is authentic and not generated using artificial intelligence (AI).

Another shorter video, lasting 27 seconds, shows more ballots being counted. It was uploaded to Facebook by Junayen Bin Sad, who claimed the footage was filmed in Oman, at the residence of a Jamaat-e-Islami member. Some sources allege a similar video originates from a Jamaat member’s home in Bahrain.

Regarding the 27-second video, Chattogram-3 Returning Officer and District Commissioner Mohammad Zahidul Islam Minya told the press: “We received the information last night. While the footage is from outside the country, we cannot confirm which country yet. Investigations are ongoing.”

BNP’s Demands:

On Saturday afternoon, BNP representatives, including Nazrul Islam Khan, met with Chief Election Commissioner A. M. M. Nasir Uddin at the EC office in Agargaon. The meeting lasted from 5:00 pm to 6:15 pm. Nazrul Islam Khan told reporters that the EC has assured further investigation and would take action accordingly. The EC warned that anyone attempting electoral fraud could have their National ID and voter registration blocked.

This year, for the first time, Bangladeshi expatriates are allowed to vote through IT-supported postal ballots, alongside government officials, election staff, and prisoners. Registration on the “Postal Vote BD” app closed on 5 January 2026.

The EC reports that across 300 parliamentary constituencies, a total of 1,527,155 postal voters have been registered, of whom over 760,000 are expatriates. The remainder includes domestic registrants, with roughly 590,000 government employees, 160,000 election officers, 10,000 Ansar-VDP personnel, and over 6,000 prisoners.

The viral videos have ignited debate over the handling and transparency of postal ballots, with opposition parties demanding strict scrutiny to ensure free and fair elections.