Mustafa Islam, Dbarta24 — The total number of registered voters in Bangladesh has reached 12,86,32,555 (128.63 million) as of July 31, reflecting a steady growth in the national electoral database.
Over 3.09 lakh new voters were enrolled across the country in just under three months, according to the Election Commission (EC) Secretariat.
Akhter Ahmed, Senior Secretary of the EC Secretariat, shared the updated figures during a press briefing at the Election Building in Agargaon, Dhaka, on Sunday afternoon.
Three-Month Electoral Surge
According to EC data, a total of 309,315 voters were added to the electoral rolls between May 14 and July 31.
The update comes as part of the Election Commission’s preliminary preparations for upcoming local government elections. Initially, the commission aimed to hold local polls in phases starting this October.
The July 31 cutoff date was set to ensure that newly registered citizens within this timeframe would be eligible to exercise their franchise.
“If the schedule for the local government elections is deferred or if the Commission reaches a different decision, an additional supplementary voter list will be issued,” Senior Secretary Akhter Ahmed explained during the briefing.
Regulatory Reforms and Code of Conduct Under Review
Beyond updating voter rolls, the Election Commission is moving forward with necessary legal and regulatory adjustments ahead of the local polls.
Akhter Ahmed noted that electoral codes of conduct covering all local government tiers—including City Corporations, Zila Parishads, Upazila Parishads, Pourashavas (Municipalities), and Union Parishads—have already been forwarded to the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs for scrutiny.
He added that recommendations regarding legal amendments are currently being processed within the secretariat and will be submitted to the ministry once finalized.
Presidential Election Update
Addressing questions regarding the ongoing presidential election process, the Senior Secretary confirmed that nomination papers are currently being distributed.
A delegation representing the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) collected two nomination forms on Sunday. As of the time of the briefing, no other political party had collected nomination papers.
With voter rolls expanding by over 300,000 in a brief three-month span and code-of-conduct reviews underway at the Law Ministry, the Election Commission continues its ground-level preparations.
Whether these updated rolls form the final electoral base will depend on the official timeline fixed for the upcoming local government polls.