Bangladesh will hold parliamentary elections on Thursday, its first since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ouster in August 2024 protests. Authorities have announced the largest security operation in the country’s history with 9.58 lakh personnel deployed nationwide. Security risks are high: police say nearly 24,000 of 43,000 polling centers are high or moderate risk. In Dhaka, 1,614 out of 2,131 stations are risk-prone, though the army identifies only two as risky. Election Commissioner Abul Fazal Mohammad Sanaullah said, "Security deployment is being made based on local sensitivity assessments." This election introduces new technology to boost safety. For the first time, drones, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and 25,000 body-worn cameras will monitor voting. Over 90% of polling centers have CCTV cameras. Voting runs from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm in 299 constituencies with 42,659 polling centers set. More than 12.77 crore voters, including 3.58% first-timers, can cast ballots. A referendum on an 84-point reform package will also take place. The Election Commission has placed 2,098 executive magistrates and 657 judicial magistrates to oversee voting. Sanaullah said the commission is "satisfied with the law-and-order situation" and hopes for peaceful elections. These polls follow the removal of the Awami League government after large student protests on August 5, 2024. The interim government led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus banned the Awami League from participating. The main battle is between the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami. Pre-election surveys show BNP’s Tarique Rahman as the frontrunner. With cutting-edge surveillance and vast security forces, Bangladesh faces a crucial poll that tests its political future beyond the Hasina era.