CUMILLA, Jan 28, 2026 (BSS) - Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman is scheduled to address a public meeting in Cumilla on January 30. The public meeting will be held at the Cumilla Town Hall ground at 6:00 pm, where Dr. Rahman will speak as the chief guest.  Jamaat leaders and activists are expressing strong enthusiasm ahead of the visit of their party chief.  Cumilla Metropolitan Jamaat-e-Islami leaders said that extensive preparations have been completed to ensure the success of the programme. Organizational arrangements, security measures, and discipline issues have all been finalized, they added.  Organizers expect more than one lakh people from Cumilla Metropolitan area and surrounding upazilas to attend the gathering. Ahead of the event, Cumilla Metropolitan Jamaat-e-Islami held a press conference at a city restaurant on this afternoon (Wednesday). The press briefing was addressed by Cumilla Metropolitan Jamaat Ameer and Jamaat-e-Islami candidate for Cumilla-6 constituency, Kazi Din Mohammad. Speaking at the press conference, Kazi Din Mohammad said that all preparations had been completed to make the public meeting a success. "We hope that the public meeting will turn into a historic gathering with spontaneous participation of the people of Cumilla," he said. The Jamaat leaders also informed that as part of his Cumilla tour, Dr. Shafiqur Rahman will attend another public meeting in Chauddagram upazila on January 31. Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Central Majlish Shura Members Advocate Mohammad Shahjahan, Professor Abdul Matin, and Md. Mosleh Uddin, Cumilla Metropolitan Jamaat Secretary Md. Mahbubur Rahman, Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish Cumilla Metropolitan President Maulana Sulaiman, Workers Welfare Federation Central Vice President Mojibur Rahman Bhuiyan, Metropolitan Jamaat Assistant Secretary Kamruzzaman Sohel, Council Member Mosharraf Hossain, Working Committee Member Amir Hossain Faraiji, VP Mojibur Rahman and Chhatrashibir Cumilla Metropolitan Secretary Nazmul Hasan Panchayat, were present at the press conference, among others. Leaders said that at the upcoming public meeting, candidate Kazi Din Mohammad-contesting the election with Daripalla symbol-will present his development plans and election pledges for Cumilla.  They said that over the past one and a half years, he has visited various areas of the city to understand the needs and expectations of local residents, and based on those experiences, he will outline a realistic and comprehensive development plan for Cumilla. The Jamaat leaders expressed hope that the large-scale public gathering at the Town Hall ground would mark a new chapter in Cumilla's political history and contribute to building the city into a modern and first-class urban center under honest and capable leadership.

GAIBANDHA, Jan 28, 2026 (BSS) - A total of 46 ballot boxes have been prepared in the district to store postal ballots under the Out Country Voting (OCB) and In Country Postal Ballot (ICPB) systems, introduced for the first time.  Four polling booths, each accommodating 400 ballots, have been set up on the ground and second floors of the Deputy Commissioner (DC) office to serve the district's five constituencies.  DC and Returning Officer Mohammad Masudar Rahman Mollah said postal ballot envelopes will be checked to confirm authenticity with a barcode scanner before being placed in boxes.  The boxes will be opened in the presence of polling agents at 4:30 pm on the election day, followed by counting.  A total of 17,924 voters in the district, both from home and abroad, have registered to cast their votes via postal ballots for the upcoming National Parliamentary Election and the Referendum.