The Election Commission (EC) published the updated draft voter list on Thursday, with the total number rising to 123.6 million.
Commissioner Brig Gen (Retd) Abul Fazal Md Sanaullah shared the details of the updates at a press briefing at the EC office in the city on Thursday.
Of the total number, male voters are 63.3 million (63,330,103) and female 63.52 million (63,520,415). Some 994 hijra (third gender) voters also have been registered.
New voters added to the list are 1.83 million (1,833,352) - 1,185,516 males and 647,774 females - reflecting a growth of 1.5 per cent since March 2023.
The EC has invited the citizens and entities concerned to file claims or objections regarding the updated list by January 17. After addressing these, the final voter list is scheduled to be published on March 2, 2025.
It is expected to initiate the next phase of voter list updates by conducting household visits starting on January 20, with the process expected to conclude by June 30.
The EC, led by Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, decided on December 2 last year to continue the annual voter list-update process through household data collection in 2025.
As per the law, the voter list is updated annually between January 2 and March 2. Following the draft version published Thursday, the final version is scheduled to be released on March 2 after addressing claims and objections.
Meanwhile, Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, in his Victory Day (Dec 16) speech last month, stated that it might be possible to hold the next general election by the end of 2025 or in the first half of 2026.
He also announced his intention to lead a commission aimed at building consensus among political parties and other stakeholders regarding necessary reforms.
However, the last three general elections-the 10th, 11th, and 12th-were conducted under the authoritarian Awami League regime and remain infamous for widespread rigging, opposition boycotts, overnight ballot stuffing with the assistance of police and administration, disqualification of opposition leaders from voting, and imprisonment of millions of opposition workers and leaders.
The July-August uprising in 2024, driven by students, political parties, and citizens from all walks of life, played a significant role in overthrowing the autocratic regime.
The nation now eagerly awaits the 13th National Election, hoping it will mark a return to democracy and transparency.
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