Election Commission (EC) Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed -File Photo

DHAKA, June 26, 2025 (BSS) – Election Commission (EC) Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said the EC has sent a proposal to the ministry of law to amend the Voter List Act.

Speaking to reporters at the Nirbachan Bhaban in the capital’s Agargaon today, he said, “We have proposed changes to the current law regarding the voter list, stating that the commission will determine a reasonable time for voter inclusion through its meetings. In essence, the commission would decide who can vote and the timeframe for voter registration based on reasonable consideration.”

“The commission will decide on what basis this reasonable consideration for inclusion in the voter list will be,” he added.

Akhtar Ahmed also mentioned that the process of demarcation of 76 parliamentary constituencies is underway, saying, “We are proceeding based on what appears logical to us. The process is currently under review and not yet finalized.”

Regarding election preparations, he said, “Tenders have been invited for purchasing election materials. We aim to complete the procurement by September.”

On the registration of political parties, the senior secretary said, “The deadline for party registration was June 22. We received 147 applications, of which three were re-submissions—so 144 parties have applied.” 

He went on, “We have created a checklist to review these applications, and 20 officers have been assigned to this task.”

In response to another question, he said, “We will need to increase the number of election symbols, as 147 parties have applied which require an equal number of symbols. Discussions are ongoing, and the issue regarding the ‘scales’ symbol has already been resolved in court.”