Draft voter list 2023: Number of voters rises 5pc in a year

An unusual increase in the number of voters has raised eyebrows among election experts and demographers.

The latest draft voter list saw a 5.10 percent increase which is unusual as the list grew by 1.75 percent and 1.40 percent in 2020 and 2021, according to Election Commission data.

The finalised voter list is scheduled to be published on March 2 and it will be followed in the coming national election.

Unveiling the draft list last month, EC Secretary Jahangir Alam said the number of voters was 119,061,158 as of January 15 this year, up from 113,287,010 on March 2, 2022.

He added that this marked a 5.10 percent growth.

When asked, Ashok Kumar Debnath, EC additional secretary, said, "After seeing such a rise, we thought this could not be normal. Then we reviewed and checked the data and found it to be right."

People who usually live abroad were in Bangladesh when the data was collected, resulting in the rise, he added.

Besides, many students failed to go abroad for studies because of the Covid-19 pandemic and they became voters, he added.

Election Commissioner Anisur Rahman also said the latest data was correct.

The list is updated through door-to-door visits, something that hasn't been done in 2020 and 2021, he said, explaining why the number did not rise significantly in those two years.

Enumerators went door-to-door from May to November last year to gather data on voters.

Meanwhile, demographers expressed surprise over the "unusual" rise and election experts said there should be an independent review of the list, and if needed, the list should be made again so as to avoid controversies.

"The 5.10 percent growth is surprising. Population growth rate is not high. The Election Commission must explain and investigate the matter," Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hussain, a former Election Commissioner, told this newspaper.

"The sudden rise in voters might become a political issue. Voter lists have earlier caused political debates," he said.

WHY UNUSUAL?

Prof Mohammad Mainul Islam, a teacher of population sciences at Dhaka University, said the latest Sample Vital Registration System (SVRS) report showed 32 lakh children were born and around 8.57 lakh people died every year.

The 57 lakh increase in just a year is unusual, he added.

The preliminary report of Population and Housing Census 2022 shows that 61.36 percent or 10.24 crore people are aged 20 years and over, he said, adding that the total number of people aged over 18 will presumably be around 10.55 crore.

But according to the EC data, the total number of voters --  that is, people aged over 18 -- is 11.90 crore.

"Voter listing is connected to elections. You have to perform every duty impartially. The candidates as well as the general public must have trust in the Election Commission. We saw controversies over voter lists on several occasions in the past. To avoid debates and to earn the trust, the commission can get the data reviewed independently," he added.

In 2006, there were widespread criticisms of more than 1 crore fake voters in a voter list which was corrected ahead of the election in 2008.