EC orders all voter transfer requests to be resolved by Nov 17

Ahead of the next parliamentary election, the Election Commission has instructed that all voter transfer applications must be resolved by Nov 17.

On Wednesday, Senior Assistant Secretary Nasir Uddin Chowdhury issued the directive to field officers.

According to the notice, applications for voter transfer due to change of residence will be accepted until Nov 10. Registration officers are required to approve or reject these applications and complete the process by Nov 17.

Applications submitted by Bangladeshi citizens residing abroad for voter registration must be investigated and resolved promptly, the NID branch has directed.

A letter signed by Khan Abi Shahanur Khan, director (registration & expatriates) of the National Identity Registration Subdivision, said investigation reports must be completed by Nov 6.

For expatriates whose biometric processes are complete, Upazila, Thana, or registration officers must print the application forms and attached documents for on-site verification.

After completing the verification, reports must be submitted to the NID director general via the regional election officer.

On Sunday, EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said the latest update will add 1,304,880 new voters, enrolled between Sep 1 and Oct 31. After objection settlement, the final list will be published on Nov 18.

He added that NID services for expatriates are ongoing at 21 offices across 11 countries. Once registered as voters, they can vote, including via the app.

With these new additions, the total number of voters in Bangladesh will exceed 127.6 million. The next parliamentary election is scheduled for the first half of February, with the EC set to announce the schedule in early December.