India, June 24 -- Pervasive spread of disinformation, particularly via social media, poses significant challenges to safeguarding electoral credibility in Bangladesh, polarising communities and potentially inciting violence, the country's election commission has said as it gears for the first election since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ouster in 2024.

"False narratives, propaganda, and even AI-generated content can severely undermine public trust in democratic processes, polarise communities, and potentially incite violence," said Bangladesh Election Commission (BEC) joint secretary (law) Faruque Ahamad in a presentation at the 12th International Conference of Election Management Bodies (June 5-6) in Georgia.

He said a concerted, mult...