Dhaka, February 10 The capital and other major cities in Bangladesh experienced a massive surge in travel on Tuesday as thousands flocked to bus terminals and railway stations to return to their hometowns ahead of the elections.
Bangladesh will hold parliamentary elections on February 12, the first since the removal of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in massive country-wide protests in August 2024.
Transport operators reported unusually high passenger numbers, with long queues of people waiting for travel tickets at major bus terminals and train stations.
"It's almost like the traditional rush of passengers returning home during Eid vacations," said Abdur Rahim, who runs a tea stall near Dhaka's Mohakhali Bus Terminal.
Witnesses described similar scenes at other bus terminals and Dhaka's main Kamalapur Railway Station, which operate bus and train services throughout the country from the capital.
"I want my family to return to our village home because people are saying there could be widespread violence during the voting and in the days that follow," said Jashim Uddin, a commercial press worker in Dhaka.
Newspaper reports indicated that a large number of people were traveling from the southeastern port city of Chattogram and other major cities to their native villages, but they also reported complaints that transport operators were charging extra fares in many places.
Many passengers also reported waiting for hours with their families for buses, but terminal operators said they were facing a shortage of buses due to requisition by law enforcement agencies for election duties.
Inspector General of the Bangladesh Police, Baharul Alam, said that the main law enforcement agency would be supported by armed forces and paramilitary troops to maintain law and order during the voting and afterwards.
"A three-tiered security arrangement will be put in place at the country's over 42,000 polling centers, and each center will have a static police presence supported by mobile patrol teams and rapid response forces to respond to any emergency," he said.
Officials earlier said that nearly one million security personnel, including those from various agencies and the paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh, were deployed across the country to maintain law and order.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has emerged as the frontrunner in the upcoming elections, with its longtime ally, Jamaat-e-Islami, being its main rival in the absence of the now disbanded Awami League, led by deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, which has been barred from participating.