After returning to the country after 17 years, BNP’s acting chairman Tariq Rahman again became a voter of Bangladesh. On Saturday, his name was included in the voter list and he has also registered for National Identity Card (NID). This time there is no hindrance for him in contesting the Bangladesh elections. Tariq Rehman will contest from his ancestral seat Bogra Sadar (Bogra-6) constituency. Local leaders have already collected nomination papers on his behalf. There are elections for Jatiya Sangsad in Bangladesh on 12th February.
Tariq Rahman went to Agargaon after visiting the grave of martyr Osman Hadi in Dhaka University area on Saturday morning, two days after returning from London. There he completed the work of registering as a voter and obtaining a National Identity Card at the Election Training Institute. Tariq Rehman had already announced that he would do the necessary work to become a voter on December 27. The Election Commission had also made preparations accordingly.
Tariq Rehman got his voter card made
According to Bangladesh outlet Pratham Aalo, Tariq Rahman went to the Electoral Training Institute building behind the Election Building in Agargaon, Dhaka at around 1 pm on Saturday afternoon. NID related services are provided to people coming from outside and special people in a room on the ground floor of the building.
Tariq Rehman went to that room to get his photo clicked, give ten fingerprints, get his iris scanned and sign. Bangladesh Election Commission Secretary Akhtar Ahmed was present at that time.
Earlier in the morning, NID Wing Director General (DG) ASM Humayun Kabir told the media that to become a voter, a person’s photo, iris and fingerprint are taken. These are uploaded to the EC database. These are cross-matched with the voters’ information in the data centre. Then a number is generated. This is done in software.
The Election Commission has already finalized the voter list for the upcoming 13th Parliamentary elections. However, the Voter List Act says that the Election Commission can include the name of any person eligible to become a voter in the voter list at any time.
Tariq Rahman left Bangladesh in 2008
The first photo voter list in Bangladesh was prepared in 2008 during the caretaker government after 1998. Tariq Rehman, the eldest son of BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia, was released from jail on September 11, 2008 and went to London from Bangladesh. Because he was abroad, his name was not in the voter list at that time. Later, during the Awami League rule, he did not return to the country, nor did he become a voter.
Sheikh Hasina’s government was overthrown after the student rebellion in July last year. After that, elections will be held for the first time in the country and to contest elections it was necessary to become a voter, the process of which was completed by Tariq Rehman.
