Dhaka: The Election Commission (EC) has issued a stern warning regarding the collection of voters’ personal information and national identity card (NID) details under the guise of electioneering, declaring such acts as punishable offenses.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the EC highlighted in a press release that it has come to their attention that individuals are collecting voters’ personal data and NID details under the pretense of election campaigning. In line with the National Identity Card Registration Act 2010, it is prohibited for anyone to carry or transfer another’s NID.
The electioneering activities officially commenced on Thursday, January 22, in anticipation of the 13th parliamentary election and the referendum, both scheduled for February 12. The Commission reiterated that under the Parliamentary Election Code of Conduct for Political Parties and Candidates Rules, 2025, no political party, candidate, or their representatives are permitted to offer or promise donations, contributions, or gifts to any person, group, or institution within the electoral area.
The EC emphasized that such activities are punishable offenses and urged all citizens and organizations to refrain from engaging in these practices. This warning follows a complaint lodged by a BNP delegation on January 13, which alleged that a specific political party has been collecting voters’ NID details and mobile phone numbers nationwide. The BNP Central Election Steering Committee Chairman, Nazrul Islam Khan, described these activities as ‘suspicious and unprecedented,’ suggesting that they could be intended to create fake voters or influence voting behavior.
Khan further pointed out that the collection of mobile financial service numbers might suggest the possibility of monetary transactions. The election campaign officially began on Thursday following the allocation of electoral symbols to 1,972 candidates contesting the upcoming election from 298 constituencies, excluding Pabna-1 and Pabna-2.
The number of contesting candidates is expected to increase once candidates from Pabna-1 and Pabna-2 are included. At present, there are nine valid candidates in these two constituencies. In total, there are 1,981 candidates across the 300 constituencies, comprising 1,732 candidates from 51 registered political parties and 249 independent candidates.
The Election Commission had previously announced on December 11 the schedule for holding the 13th parliament election and the referendum on the July National Charter (Constitutional Reform) Implementation Order simultaneously on February 12.