Decision on including Tarique and Zaima in voter list on Sunday: EC secretary

BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman and his daughter Zaima Rahman have completed the voter registration process, and the Election Commission will decide on their inclusion in the voter list at a meeting scheduled for Sunday.

EC senior secretary Akhtar Ahmed told reporters this on Saturday, December 27, at the Election Commission building in Agargaon, Dhaka.

He said the matter would be placed before the commission on Sunday and their inclusion in the voter list would be finalised based on the commission’s decision.

The EC secretary said Tarique Rahman and his daughter submitted their voter registration forms on Saturday, completing the registration process. Under Section 15 of the Voter List Act, 2009, the commission has the authority to include any eligible adult citizen as a voter.

He added that they have applied to be registered as voters in Ward 19 of the Dhaka-17 constituency. By filling in Form-2, they provided photographs, biometric data and iris information and formally applied for inclusion in the voter list.

Responding to a question about Tarique Rahman’s NID number, Akhtar Ahmed said although the registration process was completed on Saturday, it takes some time to upload data and verify fingerprints, signatures, facial and iris information. Once verification is completed, NID numbers will be issued, which he hoped would be done within the day.

He also noted that voter registration is a continuous process, but inclusion in the voter list is linked to the February 12 election. The matter will therefore be placed before the commission for a decision.

The EC secretary said the commission can take decisions either through a formal meeting or through file-based approval, adding that it is entirely within the commission’s authority.