EC finally decides to enrol enclave dwellers as voters

FE Team | Published: June 13, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

The Election Commission (EC) has planned to enroll enclave dwellers as voters and providing them with national identity (NID) cards soon after the exchange of 162 enclaves between Bangladesh and India, reports UNB.
The EC will start registering eligible inhabitants of the enclaves as voters once the Home Ministry gives the green signal following the transfer of the enclaves--111 in Bangladesh and 51 in India.
The much-awaited transfer will begin on July 31 midnight in accordance with the India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) 1974 and Protocol of 2011 to the Land Boundary Agreement.
The EC in its meeting Tuesday discussed the issue and planned to take necessary preparations to enroll them as voters during the countrywide updating of the voter list, which is scheduled to begin in August, said EC officials.
"We'll make the Bangladeshi nationals living in the enclaves as voters whenever the government informs us that the exchange process of enclaves is over," said Election Commissioner Shah Nawaz.
He told the news agency that the Commission will face no problem in enrolling the people of enclaves as voters within a short time as they are small in number.
The EC could not enroll Bangladeshi nationals residing in the enclaves adversely located within the Indian territories despite its several efforts since 2008 as it did not get clearance from the home and foreign ministries in this regard.
In reply to the Commission's letters in 2012 and 2014, the ministries informed the EC that the issue of exchanging enclaves between the two neighbouring countries was under active consideration.
According to the India-Bangladesh first-ever joint headcount conducted in 2011, as many as 37,383 people live in 111 Indian enclaves, while 14,090 people in 51 Bangladeshi enclaves.
The 111 Indian enclaves inside Bangladesh include 12 in Kurigram, 59 in Lalmonirhat, four in Nilphamari and 36 in Panchagarh, whereas all 51 Bangladeshi enclaves are located in Cooch Behar of India.