Staff Correspondent:

BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has not yet registered as a voter, but plans to do so upon his return to Bangladesh, according to sources from the Election Commission (EC).

While his wife, Dr Zubaida Rahman, has already completed the voter registration process and received her smart NID card, Tarique Rahman has not yet applied for voter registration abroad – despite ongoing enrolment drives for expatriate Bangladeshis in the United Kingdom.

In 2008, during the caretaker government, Bangladesh launched its first photo-based voter list. At the time, Tarique Rahman and Dr Zubaida left the country for London on September 11; just as the registration drive began, leaving them unable to enrol.

Now, in the current voter list update, Dr Zubaida has taken the necessary steps. She provided her biometrics—including signature, fingerprints, and iris scan—at a UK election office and has officially been included as a voter.

According to the Registration and Expatriate Branch of the National Identity Registration Division, Tarique Rahman has not applied for voter registration in London, Birmingham, or Manchester, where EC teams are actively enrolling expatriates.

“Tareque Rahman can become a voter from London if he wants to,” said an official from the branch. “But after verification, we found that he will not be registering here. He personally informed us: ‘I will become a voter after coming to Bangladesh.’ ”

Senior Secretary of the Election Commission Secretariat, Akhtar Ahmed, confirmed:“I don’t know of any application from Tarique Rahman. If he were a voter, I would know. But his wife has completed all formalities—she’s a voter and has received her smart card. He has not.”

The EC is currently conducting voter registration for Bangladeshis living in nine countries: the UAE, Saudi Arabia, the UK, Italy, Kuwait, Qatar, Malaysia, Australia, and Canada.

So far 48,032 expatriates have applied, 29,646 of them have completed biometric enrolment, 17,367 have been approved as voters. Besides, the EC rejected 3,756 applications and around 4,000 applications are still under scrutiny. Tarique Rahman’s name does not appear on any of these lists.

To register as a voter from abroad, applicants must appear in person at an EC mission office (mandatory for biometrics: 10 fingerprints, iris scan, and signature); submit a valid Bangladeshi passport (photo and arrival stamp pages); provide birth certificate, citizenship certificate (from Union/Ward Chairman), and parent’s NID (or death certificate if deceased); married applicants must submit marriage certificate and spouse’s NID.

For address verification: utility bills, house tax receipt, or rental agreement with owner’s NID and no-objection letter should be submitted.

Notably, dual citizenship documents are no longer required for voter registration or NID issuance.

Bangladesh citizens can now apply online for voter registration. Once the form is printed and duly attested by the Union Parishad member or Ward Councillor, along with family verification and local identifiers, it is submitted to the election office. The NID branch then processes it within a week to 10 days.

Dr Zubaida Rahman returned to London on June 5 after accompanying BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, who came back to Bangladesh on May 6 following medical treatment abroad. Though Dr Zubaida is not politically active, rumours swirl about her possibly contesting elections in the future.

Meanwhile, speculation is mounting that Tarique Rahman may return to Bangladesh soon. While BNP leaders remain tight-lipped on the exact timeline, party sources suggest a possible return by the end of August 2025, though nothing is finalised.

Multiple EC sources have confirmed that Tarique Rahman has clearly expressed his intention to register as a voter upon his return to Bangladesh.