The Election Commission (EC) is set to allocate symbols to candidates for the 13th National Parliamentary Election today, Wednesday (January 21).

Formal electioneering will commence tomorrow, Thursday (January 22), once candidates receive their respective symbols.

Following the deadline for the withdrawal of candidacies, 305 aspirants across the country have exited the race.

Consequently, a total of 1,967 candidates will compete across 298 constituencies.

Key Statistics and Trends
An analysis of Election Commission data reveals the following:

• Highest Competition: The Dhaka-12 constituency sees the highest number of contenders with 15 candidates, followed by Narayanganj-4 with 13.
• Lowest Competition: Some seats have as few as two candidates; however, notably, there are no uncontested seats in this election.

The Road to the Polls
The nomination process saw several phases of scrutiny and appeals:

• Initial Filings: 2,585 nomination papers were submitted by the December 29 deadline.
• Scrutiny & Appeals: After initial cancellations, hundreds of candidates filed appeals. A total of 431 candidates regained their candidacy through the appeal process held between January 10 and 18.
• Rescheduled Seats: New schedules were announced for Pabna-1 and Pabna-2, where fresh nominations were submitted last Sunday.

Election Day Logistics
According to the EC roadmap, candidates can continue their campaigns until 48 hours before the polls open.

• Polling Date: February 12.
• Time: 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM (continuous).
• Voter Turnout: Approximately 127.7 million voters are eligible to cast their ballots.
• Dual Voting: In addition to the parliamentary election using transparent ballot boxes, a national referendum (referendum) will also be held simultaneously using separate ballots.