"Otherwise, you (MA Aziz) may be found guilty in the history," members of the committee said in the letter.

The letter said the method for revising a voter list should be the same as the method followed for preparing a fresh voter list. "Neither it is possible nor acceptable if the voter list is prepared or revised without visiting every house," the signatories said.

According to the constitution, a caretaker government is scheduled to resume office in late October for holding the national election and all necessary revision on the voter list have to be completed before that, the letter said.

"The Election Commission (EC) and you as its chief will be responsible for any controversy regarding the voter list and if it is not accepted by all quarters," the letter cautioned adding that such a situation may create a constitutional crisis in the country.

The letter expressed fear that many people eligible for being registered as voters are likely to remain out of the list because of the new EC decision, as most of the people in Bangladesh are illiterate and they are not accustomed to go to election offices to register their names.

The signatories said instead of going from door to door for collecting information about prospective voters, the EC asked the people to go to election offices to register as voters and to lodge complaints to delete fake names. The lowest tier of election offices is located at the thana level, the letter added.

"In cases, eligible voters will have to travel 10 to 15 miles on foot to reach the election offices to check whether their names are on the list or to get registered," the letter predicted.

Nagorik Committee apprehended that there is a possibility that many eligible voters will remain out of the list, especially those who live far from the election offices.

"Moreover if a member of a family goes to an election office and registers more than one person's names then the possibility of having fake voters on the list will only increase," the letter said.

Referring to the government's admission that a large number of fake voters' names remain on the voter roll, the letter added that it should not be expected that the so-called fake voters will go to the election offices to delete their names.

The letter also raised the question regarding how the people who died or left the country will go to the election offices and delete their names from the voter list as the EC will not delete their names unless it receives official objections regarding those names.

Signatories of the open letter to the CEC are: Member of Board of Trustees of the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) also Chairperson of BRAC Fazle Hasan Abed, President of Centre for Democracy also former foreign secretary and former secretary-general of Saarc Ambassador Abul Ahsan, member of CPD Board of Trustees Dr Anisuzzaman, Executive Director of CPD Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, Chairman of Square Groups Samson H Chowdhury, former adviser to a caretaker government Maj Gen (Rtd) Moinul Hussain Chowdhury Bir Bikram, Member of CPD Board of Trustees also Chairman of APEX Tannery Syed Manzur Elahi, Founder and Executive Director of Banchte Sekha Ms Angela Gomes, former cabinet secretary M Mujibul Huq, Chairman of the Department of Electronics and Computer Science at Shahjalal Science and Technology University Prof Mohammad Zafar Iqbal, President of Women for Women Dr Mahmuda Islam, former attorney general Mahmudul Islam, Professor Emeritus of Research Centre for Mathematics and Physical Sciences at the University of Chittagong Jamal Nazrul Islam, Member of CPD Board of Trustees also former president of MCCI Ms Laila Rahman Kabir, Executive Director of Ain-O-Shalish Kendra Advocate Sultana Kamal, former adviser to a caretaker government also former comptroller and auditor general of Bangladesh M Hafizuddin Khan, President of Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI) also Managing Director of Transcom Group Latifur Rahman, President of Bishwa Shahitya Kendra Prof Abdullah Abu Sayeed, former adviser to a caretaker government ASM Shahjahan, Chairman of CPD Prof Rehman Sobhan, and Member of CPD Board of Trustees also Chairman of Bank Asia M Syeduzzaman.

CEC's steps may create crisis: Nazmul Huda Communications Minister Barrister Nazmul Huda yesterday said the decisions being taken by Chief Election Commissioner Justice MA Aziz regarding the voter list might create a political crisis ahead ofthe