More than 1.89 lakh policemen and thousands of armed forces personnel have been deployed across Bangladesh to ensure law and order ahead of the January 7 general elections, the Defence Ministry announced on Tuesday. The armed forces will assist the Election Commission and local civil administration till January 10 to help maintain a free, fair, and peaceful environment before, during, and after the national polls. The Army will be deployed in 62 districts and will work alongside the Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB) in 47 bordering upazilas, the release said.

A total of 1,151 platoons of paramilitary border guards have also been deployed nationwide to work in concert with the police, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and armed forces for 13 days surrounding the upcoming elections. The BGB members will solely be deployed in 45 upazilas and will be accompanied by the Coast Guards in four coastal upazilas, while the country's Navy will perform duties in a total of 19 upazilas, including the coastal districts of Bhola and Barguna. The Air Force is also set to provide necessary helicopter assistance to polling stations in remote hilly areas along with electoral assistance in case of emergencies.

Special cells have been set up jointly by representatives of the armed forces and law enforcement agencies across the country, which will remain operational till January 10, the release said. The January 7 polls are being boycotted by the main opposition, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) led by former prime minister Khalida Zia, as its demand for an interim non-party neutral government to organize the voting was rejected by the government headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is also the president of the ruling Awami League.

The BNP has called for civil disobedience against the Hasina-led dispensation, urging people not to pay taxes and utility bills to press its demand for a non-party interim government for election oversight by amending the country's Constitution. They have also been carrying out an anti-election street campaign, calling for intermittent strikes and transport blockades, saying no election under the incumbent government led by Hasina would be fair or neutral.

The US and other major Western countries called for dialogue between the ruling Awami League and particularly with the BNP to ensure an inclusive and credible election, which, however, saw no headway due to reluctance from both sides. With the BNP boycotting the election and no other credible opposition party against it, Hasina's Awami League is likely to gain the upper hand and will likely form the government for the fourth consecutive term.