Islamic scholar Dr. Mizanur Rahman Azhari has called on citizens to vote for honest, competent, and patriotic candidates in the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election. He made the appeal on Tuesday afternoon through a post on his verified Facebook account, describing voting as a trust and urging people to exercise it responsibly.

According to the Election Commission, voting for all 300 constituencies will take place on February 12, alongside a referendum on the implementation of the July National Charter. A total of 1,981 candidates are contesting in this election, including 1,732 from 51 registered political parties and 249 independents. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has candidates in 288 constituencies, Jamaat-e-Islami in 224, Islami Andolan Bangladesh in 253, and the Jatiya Party (JAPA) in 192.

Other parties such as the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Bangladesh Socialist Party (BASAD), and several smaller groups also have candidates across multiple constituencies, reflecting a wide political participation in the upcoming national polls.

The women’s wing of Jamaat-e-Islami has announced a mass rally in protest against alleged attacks on its female campaigners by BNP activists during election activities. The rally is scheduled for Saturday, January 31, at Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka. The announcement was made at a press conference held on Tuesday at Jamaat’s central office in Moghbazar, which began around 12:15 p.m.

Senior party leaders, including Nayeb-e-Ameer Syed Abdullah Mohammad Taher and Assistant Secretary General Advocate Ehsanul Mahbub Zubair, addressed the briefing. They were joined by Assistant Secretary General and Election Steering Committee head Maulana A.T.M. Masum and Oliullah Noman. The party’s official Facebook page later confirmed the event, describing it as a women’s assembly to protest harassment and violence against female activists during election campaigns across Bangladesh.

This will be the first such program organized by Jamaat’s women’s division at Suhrawardy Udyan, signaling a public demonstration of the group’s stance against the reported incidents.

In the haor areas of Sunamganj, the 13th National Parliamentary Election campaign has lost its usual festive atmosphere due to a ban on posters. Previously, villages, markets, and streets would be covered with campaign posters, creating a celebratory mood despite environmental harm. This year, the Election Commission has prohibited the use of posters, banners, and non-biodegradable materials such as polythene and plastic, with the campaign period running from January 21 to February 10.

Residents in remote villages have expressed concern that without posters, low-income and elderly voters lacking smartphones are unable to access digital campaign information. Voters said they used to identify candidates through posters, but now struggle to do so. However, many citizens and environmentalists welcomed the cleaner surroundings, noting that walls, roads, and markets remain tidy.

Environmental expert Saiful Alam Chowdhury described the poster-free campaign as a timely step for environmental protection, though he acknowledged that the election’s festive spirit has diminished compared to previous years.

President Md. Shahabuddin has registered to cast his vote through postal ballot in the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election. The confirmation came on Tuesday afternoon from K.M. Ali Newaz, Project Director of the Postal Vote Project and Additional Secretary of the Election Commission (EC). EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed stated that the President expressed his wish to vote by postal ballot, and necessary arrangements will be made through an app. After registration, the postal ballot will be sent to the head of state by mail.

According to the EC, the President had also voted by postal ballot in the previous 12th parliamentary election. This time, the Election Commission has introduced an IT-supported postal voting system, allowing eligible voters to register online and cast their votes through postal ballots.

The new digital registration process marks a modernization of the postal voting system, aiming to make participation more accessible for voters unable to attend polling stations in person.

Ha-Meem Group of Industries Managing Director AK Azad said that Bangladesh’s tight monetary policy has already led to the loss of 1.2 million jobs, with another 1.2 million at risk in the next six months. Speaking on Tuesday at a roundtable titled “Implications of LDC Graduation for Banking Industry: Bangladesh Perspective,” organized by the International Chamber of Commerce Bangladesh (ICC), Azad argued that inflation cannot be reduced solely through monetary tightening, as it is linked to revenue and other factors. The event was attended by Bangladesh Bank Governor Ahsan H. Mansur, ICC President Mahbubur Rahman, and several business and banking leaders.

Citing a study by Ahsan Habib, Azad noted that LDC graduation could reduce exports to the European Union by 45 percent and that the banking sector’s non-performing loans have reached 30 percent due to a slowdown in the ready-made garments industry. He warned that this could deepen liquidity pressures, with default rates at 50 percent in state banks and 30 percent in private ones. Azad added that the private sector has taken only 6 percent of total bank loans, compared to the government’s 27 percent, which may rise to 32 percent.

He emphasized that without boosting investment and employment, the economy cannot be stabilized through monetary policy alone and urged the new government to address the impacts of LDC graduation promptly.

The United States has sharply criticized the European Union over its long-awaited free trade agreement with India, accusing Europe of indirectly financing the Russia–Ukraine war. Senior economic officials in the Trump administration claimed that by purchasing refined Russian oil from India, Europe is unintentionally supporting Moscow’s war efforts. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said that although Europe has restricted direct oil trade with Russia, its imports of refined oil from India amount to indirect funding of the conflict.

Bessent described Europe’s approach as unbalanced compared to Washington’s tougher stance. He noted that the US has imposed a 50 percent tariff on India as a punitive measure while Europe continues to benefit by buying refined oil. His comments came as India and the EU prepared to formally announce the trade deal after nearly 14 years of negotiations. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has called the agreement “the mother of all trade deals.”

The announcement adds a new dimension to global trade amid existing tensions driven by US tariff policies and the ongoing Russia–Ukraine war.

India and the European Union have finalized a landmark free trade agreement after almost twenty years of intermittent negotiations, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Tuesday. The deal, reached amid global uncertainty surrounding the United States, aims to strengthen alternative economic and strategic ties between the two sides. It will open India’s large and relatively protected market to the 27 EU member states, while the EU remains India’s largest trading partner.

Modi described the agreement as a major breakthrough, calling it the “mother of all deals” that will create new opportunities for India’s 1.4 billion people and millions across Europe. He and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are expected to present the details at the India–EU summit in New Delhi. In the 2024–25 fiscal year, bilateral trade between India and the EU reached 136.5 billion dollars.

According to an Indian government official, the agreement is now undergoing legal review, expected to take five to six months. Once completed, it could come into effect within a year of formal signing.

In Barguna, members of the student organization Chhatra Dal held a human chain protest demanding the arrest and exemplary punishment of expelled Jamaat-e-Islami leader Md. Shamim Ahsan. The demonstration took place on Tuesday morning at Barguna Government College, following Ahsan’s negative remarks about the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU).

According to the report, the Barguna district unit of Jamaat-e-Islami has already taken disciplinary action against Shamim Ahsan. He was removed from all party responsibilities, his membership was suspended, and he was relieved of all election-related duties. The protest by Chhatra Dal was organized in direct response to his comments and sought legal accountability for his actions.

The incident highlights ongoing tensions between student and political groups in Barguna, with calls for further action against individuals making controversial statements about national student institutions.

Barguna district unit of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has expelled its joint general secretary Shamim Ahsan from all organizational responsibilities and suspended his party membership. The decision was announced on Monday through a notice signed by district Jamaat Ameer Maulana Mohibullah Harun. Ahsan was also relieved of all election-related duties following his controversial comments about Dhaka University’s central student union (Daksu) during a campaign rally.

According to the notice, Ahsan made the remarks last Saturday while campaigning for Jamaat candidate Sultan Ahmed in Patharghata’s Katakhali area under Barguna-2 constituency. His comments, which spread widely on social media, sparked nationwide criticism and anger. The party stated that his remarks hurt current and former students of Dhaka University and damaged Jamaat’s image, violating its principles and ideals.

Confirming the decision, district Jamaat Ameer Mohibullah Harun described Ahsan’s comments as inappropriate and undesirable, adding that the expulsion was made following the district executive committee’s resolution.

In Nilphamari-1 (Domar-Dimla) constituency, activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) are reportedly showing little involvement in the election campaign of their alliance partner Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam’s factional secretary general, Maulana Manjurul Islam Afendi. This lack of participation from BNP’s local leaders and workers has created negative reactions among local voters, according to the report.

Although BNP’s district committees and affiliated organizations have issued instructions for full participation in campaign activities across the two upazilas of the constituency, these directives have not been reflected in practice. Sources within BNP said that engineer Shahrin Islam Chowdhury, a cousin of Tarique Rahman, had long been active as a potential BNP candidate for this seat but was replaced when the party allocated the constituency to its alliance partner Jamiat. As a result, Tuhin, another BNP figure, contested from Nilphamari-2, leaving most of his supporters concentrated there and weakening the alliance’s campaign in Nilphamari-1.

Maulana Afendi stated that he is receiving strong public support and remains unconcerned about the situation.

Nasiruddin Patwari, the Dhaka-8 parliamentary candidate nominated by the 11-party alliance, has alleged that he was attacked by members of the student organization Chhatra Dal during the campaign for the 13th National Parliamentary Election. The incident reportedly occurred around 11 a.m. on Tuesday in the Habibullah Bahar College area of the capital. Following the attack, Patwari and his supporters gathered at the Shantinagar intersection, where he claimed that eggs were thrown at him.

According to a statement from the NCP media cell, Patwari had attended an event at Habibullah Bahar College as an invited guest when individuals identifying themselves as Chhatra Dal members allegedly carried out the assault. The report did not mention any injuries or arrests related to the incident.

The alleged attack took place amid ongoing election campaigning activities in Dhaka-8, highlighting tensions surrounding the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism has drafted the ‘CAAB Property Lease Regulations 2026’ to restructure the management of immovable assets under the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB). The draft was sent to CAAB for feedback within three working days, a timeline the authority called unrealistic and hasty. CAAB formally objected to the ministry, citing the regulation’s complexity and its implications for airport operations, passenger services, national security, and international obligations. The ministry also published the draft on its website seeking public opinion.

In a letter signed by CAAB Chairman Air Vice Marshal Md Mostafa Mahmud Siddiq, the authority warned that several clauses could conflict with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards, potentially affecting Bangladesh’s international audits. CAAB argued that the draft may interfere with its legal jurisdiction under the Civil Aviation Authority Act 2017 and risk administrative and operational complications. The agency also opposed forming lease and monitoring committees lacking technical expertise and warned against open tenders for airside areas.

Separately, Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Rajin Ahmed requested extending the public feedback period by at least three weeks, noting over 500 submissions and emphasizing that public consultation is a mandatory procedural requirement under government rules.

Hasnat Abdullah, the 11-party alliance candidate led by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami for Comilla-4 (Debidwar), warned that some groups are planning to seize polling centers and steal votes. Speaking at a courtyard meeting on Tuesday morning, January 27, 2026, at Wahedpur Ghoshaibari field in Subil Union, he urged supporters to guard polling centers after Fajr prayers and to hand over anyone attempting to capture centers to the police.

Abdullah said that preventing vote theft no longer requires political leaders, as those who joined the July movement will resist it. He claimed that the politics of vote rigging ended after Hasina’s departure and warned that anyone attempting to manipulate the election would face similar consequences. He also dismissed propaganda suggesting that a “yes” vote in the referendum would remove “Bismillah” from the constitution, urging voters to cast two votes—one for the Shapla symbol and one for “yes.”

The meeting was presided over by Subil Union Jamaat chief Maulana Tajul Islam and attended by several local leaders from Jamaat-e-Islami and allied parties.

A total of 766,862 expatriate voters registered through the Postal Vote BD mobile app have received their postal ballots for the 13th National Parliament Election and referendum, according to Salim Ahmad Khan, team leader of the OCV-SDI project. As of 10:30 a.m. on January 27, 493,920 expatriate voters had accepted their ballots, and 425,788 had completed voting. Additionally, 370,322 ballots were submitted to post offices or mailboxes abroad, while 21,508 ballots had already reached Bangladesh.

Khan stated that a total of 1,533,683 voters, both domestic and expatriate, registered through the Postal Vote BD app to participate in the election and referendum. The initiative aims to facilitate participation of overseas Bangladeshis in the national voting process through digital registration and postal ballot distribution.

The progress indicates a significant level of engagement among expatriate voters, reflecting the growing use of digital tools in Bangladesh’s electoral process.

The International Crimes Tribunal-2 has concluded arguments in the case concerning the murder of Begum Rokeya University student Abu Sayeed, recognized as the first martyr of the July 24 uprising. The tribunal announced on Tuesday that the verdict could be delivered at any time. Prosecutor Mizanul Islam presented the prosecution’s arguments on January 22, citing witness testimonies, seized evidence, and official documents to establish the accused’s involvement.

The prosecution’s argument phase began on January 21 and continued for three days before the defense was scheduled to present its case. According to case documents, the investigation officer Ruhul Amin was cross-examined on January 14, and testimony from 25 witnesses was recorded. Of the 30 accused, six are currently in custody, including a former university proctor and several law enforcement and political figures, while 24 remain absconding. Four state-appointed lawyers are representing the fugitives.

The formal trial began on August 27 last year after the tribunal framed charges against the 30 accused on August 6, following submission of the investigation report in June.