Dhaka, Feb 10 (V7N) — The Election Commission (EC) will collect voter turnout and law-and-order reports every two hours during the 13th National Parliament election and the referendum, according to Circular-17 signed by Senior Assistant Secretary Md. Shahidul Islam of the EC Secretariat on Monday (February 9). The report was filed by BSS.

The circular outlines that vote counting reports from the presiding officers will be published from the Primary Private Results Collection and Distribution Center. This process will begin at 7:30 am on polling day and continue until private results are fully available.

The EC has instructed that the names, designations, and mobile numbers of officers in charge, as well as their assigned regions and designated internal accounts, must be confirmed before polling day. These officers will be responsible for sending primary unofficial results and law-and-order reports in a serialized form using the prescribed Appendix-A format through the internal site’s ‘Message Sending Sheet’.

In case of technical issues, reports can alternatively be sent via e-mail. The EC Secretariat will verify all submissions by contacting the officers in charge through designated phone numbers. Each message sheet must be signed by the Returning Officer, or, if unavailable, by the Additional District Magistrate/Additional Deputy Commissioner, with prior authentication of specimen signatures. Final message sheets will be uploaded in the RMS system.

The EC will use EMS software (Result Management/Referendum Result Management module) on its internal site to properly compile results for each constituency. Required manpower has already been trained to operate the software. The EC has also ensured connectivity through Grameen and Teletalk modems, supplemented by local internet service providers at result collection and declaration centers.

Each Assistant Returning Officer will appoint two data entry operators to enter results at each assigned center. Necessary equipment, including laptops, scanners, printers, and network connectivity, will be provided. Additional operators and resources will also be arranged at the office of the Returning Officer to ensure a smooth and timely reporting process.

The EC said these arrangements are aimed at ensuring timely, accurate, and transparent reporting of both voter turnout and election results across the country.

END/SMA/AJ