The Daily Star, Saturday, October 27, 2007
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda yesterday said that the Election Commission (EC) would prepare a voter list free from flaws and acceptable to all.
"There were 1.22 crore fake voters in the previous voter list. This time we will prepare such a voter list the nation can take pride in," the CEC said.
He was addressing a view exchange meeting at Sultanganj union in Kamrangirchar as the chief guest. It was organised as the Kamrangirchar pilot project for preparing voter list with photograph and delivering the national ID card kicked off yesterday.
Meanwhile, work on the pilot project for preparing voter list with photograph and national ID card also started yesterday at Dania in Shyampur and Uttarkhan of the city.
The CEC said that the EC has taken it as a challenge to enrol the floating and extremely poor people in the nearby areas of the city corporation.
"Earlier the voter list was prepared on the information of enumerators. This time it would be prepared through checking fingerprints of the voters and computer database," CEC Shamsul Huda said.
The CEC said that eligible Bangladeshi expatriates would be enrolled as voters.
Asked about registering the stranded Pakistanis in voter list, Shamsul Huda said the matter is under the jurisdiction of the law ministry.
Replying to another question, the CEC said those who will turn 18 by next January will also be eligible as voters.
Prospective voters can enrol themselves in the local election office as well if they fail to register themselves in the camps, Shamsul Huda said adding that preparing voter list is a continuous process.
Maj Gen Shafiqul Islam, military secretary (headquarters), Brig Gen Hakim Aziz, commander, 46 independent infantry brigade, Divisional Commissioner, Dhaka Iqram Ahmed, District Commissioner, Dhaka Kamal Uddin, Lt Col AKM Nurul Huda were present at the meeting among others.
Chief of General Staff of Army Maj Gen Sina Ibn Jamali yesterday inaugurated the work of the pilot project for preparing voter list with photograph and national ID card at Dania in Shyampur of the city.