The Election Commission (EC) has fixed a budget of nearly Tk 3,000 crore for the upcoming 13th National Parliamentary Election and the simultaneous referendum, making it the highest election expenditure in Bangladesh's history and surpassing all previous records. Nearly half of this allocation will be spent on security and law enforcement.
According to EC Secretariat sources and an analysis of previous parliamentary election budgets, election expenditure has risen sharply over the decades. While the country's first parliamentary election in 1973 cost only Tk 81.36 lakh, the cost of conducting elections has now climbed to nearly Tk 3,000 crore more than five decades later. The sharp increase is attributed to a rise in the number of voters, the holding of two votes on the same day, heightened security risks, and the growing complexity of election management.
Along with the 13th parliamentary election, a referendum will also be held on the same day, adding new expenditure heads to election management. According to EC Secretariat data, the initial budget for the parliamentary election was estimated at around Tk 2,700 crore. With the inclusion of the referendum, the total projected expenditure has increased to about Tk 2,900 crore. The dual voting process will raise costs related to ballot papers, secret booths, manpower, transportation, and security arrangements. Each polling centre will have one additional secret booth compared to previous elections.
In the last election, the cost per secret booth was Tk 800, while this time the budget has been fixed at Tk 1,200 per room for two booths, including the additional one. In addition, each centre will receive 100 extra ballot boxes beyond the standard allocation. Election officials said expenses have also increased due to enhanced centre-based logistics, expanded operational support, and the inclusion of new activities such as postal voting management.
The largest share of the election budget is being allocated to law enforcement and security, with EC estimates suggesting that around Tk 1,400 crore to Tk 1,500 crore may be spent solely on maintaining law and order. This includes the deployment, training, allowances, vehicles, and equipment for police, Ansar, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Coast Guard, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and, if necessary, the armed forces.
Election Commissioner Md Anwarul Islam Sarkar told this correspondent that considering the simultaneous holding of two votes and the overall law and order situation, the EC has sought the required allocation from the government. He said this could be the most risky election in the country's history and stressed that significant spending on security is essential to ensure a free, fair and credible election, warning that without maximum security arrangements, the credibility of the polls could be questioned.
Apart from law and order, the remaining funds will be spent on election management, including updating the voter list, managing postal voting, honorariums for presiding and polling officers, printing ballot papers and election materials, transportation and logistics, information technology and centre management, training, and administrative expenses. EC officials said that for the first time a separate budget has been allocated for postal voting for expatriate Bangladeshis, with a per-voter cost of Tk 700, an item that did not exist in previous elections.
An analysis of past elections shows a clear upward trend in expenditure. The 1973 parliamentary election cost Tk 81.36 lakh, followed by Tk 2.52 crore in the second election, Tk 5.16 crore in the third, Tk 5.15 crore in the fourth, Tk 24.37 crore in the fifth, Tk 37 crore in the sixth, Tk 11.47 crore in the seventh, Tk 72.71 crore in the eighth, and Tk 165 crore in the ninth election. In the 2014 tenth parliamentary election, total expenditure stood at Tk 264.68 crore, including Tk 183 crore for law and order.
The 2018 eleventh election cost around Tk 700 crore, while the most recent 2024 twelfth parliamentary election cost Tk 2,276.22 crore, of which Tk 1,225.62 crore was spent on law enforcement alone. Over the past decade, election costs have increased severalfold, with law and order consistently emerging as the single largest expenditure head.
Analysts say several factors have driven the rise in law enforcement costs, including the increase in the number of voters and polling centres, fears of election-related violence, prolonged deployment of security forces, higher allowances and honorariums for personnel, rising fuel and transportation costs, and overall inflation.
In this context, EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed recently said that Tk 2,956 crore has been allocated for the Election Commission in the 2025-26 fiscal year budget. He said the allocation would be spent appropriately to conduct the election and that the government is prepared to provide additional funds if necessary, adding that the amount is an estimate and actual expenditure will be determined based on operational requirements.
