The Election Commission is likely to deploy troops as a strike force across the country on Dec 24, five days ahead of the voting in the 11th national election.
According to Commission officials familiar with the matter, armed forces personnel will remain deployed until two days after the voting— Jan 1, 2019.
The decision will be finalised on Thursday (Dec 13), when the Commission is set to have a meeting with top law enforcers, says an Election Commission (EC) official.
Sources at the EC say that troops will be deployed any day between Dec 24 and 26, but they will conduct reconnaissance operation from Dec 15.
An executive magistrate will be assigned to each team and the Commission has already instructed the home ministry on the matter, according to them.
“The matter of deploying troops will be finalised during Thursday’s meeting with representatives from the law enforcement agencies,” said EC Additional Secretary Mokhlesur Rahman.
The development comes hours after the BNP in a media call demanded immediate deployment of troops “to curb the reign of terror unleashed by ruling party activists”.
The Commission had said earlier that it decided to deploy troops as a strike force in the election despite calls from opposition parties to give them magistracy power.