Record Turnout for Overseas Voters: 140,000 Postal Ballots Reach Bangladesh

Following registration through the "Postal Vote BD" app, postal ballots sent by expatriates have begun arriving in the country. According to data available as of Friday night, January 30, a total of 139,763 ballots from overseas voters have reached Bangladesh.

Saleem Ahmad Khan, Team Leader of the OCV-SDI Project (Overseas Voter Registration), reported that as of 3:30 PM on Friday, 766,862 ballot papers had been dispatched to the addresses of expatriates worldwide. Among them, 516,007 voters successfully received their ballots. Analysis of the voting data reveals that 454,587 voters have already exercised their right to vote, with over 400,000 voters having already dropped their completed ballots into mailboxes in their respective host countries.

In addition to expatriates, postal ballots are being distributed among eligible voters within the country. According to Election Commission (EC) sources, ballots have been sent to 269,000 registered voters under the domestic (ICPV) category. As of Friday afternoon, 3,748 of these voters had received their ballots, and 2,422 had completed their voting process.

Interest in digital voting methods has been exceptionally high for this election. EC data shows that a total of 1,533,684 voters—both at home and abroad—have registered via the "Postal Vote BD" app. Analysts believe the expatriate vote could become a decisive factor in this election. However, only ballots that reach the respective Returning Officers' offices by 4:30 PM on February 12 will be included in the final count.