Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), the student wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), organized a significant sit-in protest at the Election Commission (EC) headquarters in Agargaon, Dhaka, on Sunday, January 18, 2026. This demonstration occurred just weeks before Bangladesh's crucial general elections and a constitutional referendum, both slated for February 12, 2026. The student activists explicitly accused the EC of displaying bias and making questionable decisions, particularly concerning the administration of postal ballots. A primary point of contention highlighted by JCD and the BNP was the format of expatriate postal ballots, which reportedly listed only party symbols without corresponding candidate names, a process they claim is inconsistent with domestic ballots. Adding to these concerns, a widely circulated video purportedly showed 160 postal ballots being delivered to a single address in Bahrain, raising serious questions about their integrity and proper distribution. JCD leaders, including President Rakibul Islam Rakib and General Secretary Nasir Uddin Nasir, vociferously alleged that the Election Commission was acting under the undue influence of a 'special political group,' leading to 'short-sighted' and 'biased' decisions that undermine the neutrality of the electoral process. They also pointed to alleged political interference in decisions related to student union elections, such as at Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST). Coinciding with the student protest, a five-member BNP delegation, led by Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, held a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin at the EC headquarters to formally convey their grievances regarding the postal ballot controversy. In anticipation of potential unrest, a substantial security presence was deployed around the EC premises, including police, Navy, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and Ansar personnel, along with riot control vehicles and water cannons, to ensure law and order during the protest. Despite the serious allegations, Election Commissioner Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah maintained that no rules were violated concerning postal ballots, and EC Secretariat Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed clarified that postal ballot delivery methods could differ based on a country's postal systems. This event underscores the highly charged political atmosphere in Bangladesh as the nation prepares for its pivotal elections, the first since the ousting of the previous government in August 2024.