EC to publish updated voter list on 2 Mar next year

The Election Commission (EC) will publish the final voter list on 2 March after it is updated, said Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah today (2 December).

He made the announcement while talking to journalists after the first meeting of the newly-formed EC at the Nirbachan Bhaban in Dhaka's Agargaon in the morning.

Chaired by Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin, all the commissioners – Sanaullah, Md Anwarul Islam Sarker, Abdur Rahmanel Masud, and Tahmida Ahmad – attended the meeting, which started at 11am and discussed many election-related issues.

Sanaullah said, "We have decided that the voter list will be updated between 2 January and 2 March [next year]. Then the list will be final and we will publish it."

"Afterwards, we will go door to door and collect voters' information. Information will be collected about those who will not be included in the voter list [prepared by 2 March] and those who will be eligible to be voters in 2026."

Then these proposed voters, whose data would be collected during the programme, will be incorporated as new voters in the 2026 electoral rolls, he added.

"By going door to door, we will be able to ensure 100% correctness based on proper and complete information. It will take approximately six months for the entire process to be completed," said Sanaullah.

Besides, information will also be collected to remove the names of voters who are deceased, added the commissioner.

He further said information about dual voters or other complications will also be collected.

Sanaullah said the data of 1.7 million eligible people has so far been collected, who will be registered as new voters on 1 January 2025.

Of them, the data of some 1.3 million proposed voters was collected in 2022 and the remaining 400,000 people came to the election offices on different occasions to be voters, he said.

He also said EC additional secretary KM Ali Newaz informed that the draft of the updated voter list is published on 2 January every year. Then the EC receives complaints over the draft list and finalises the electoral rolls disposing of the complaints.

The interim government formed the new commission on 21 November, with former secretary AMM Nasir Uddin as the CEC.

On 5 September, a month after the ouster of the Awami League government, the previous commission led by Kazi Habibul Awal resigned amid severe criticism for their controversial roles in holding elections, including the 2024 national polls.