EC seeks info on officials who served in 3 AL-era national polls

The Election Commission (EC) has sent letters to all divisional commissioners and deputy commissioners seeking detailed information on officials who served during the last three national elections held under the previous Awami League government.

Signed by EC Deputy Secretary Monir Hossain, the letter was issued on 20 July, requesting names, addresses, national ID numbers, passport numbers, and mobile phone numbers of returning officers, presiding officers, assistant presiding officers, and polling officers who were assigned in the 2014, 2018, and 2024 general elections.

The request is tied to an investigation into a case filed by the BNP with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station.

According to the letter, the data is being collected in the interest of a fair investigation and justice.

The EC asked that the information be sent urgently and specified that it should be organised by polling station.

On 22 June, the BNP filed the case, alleging that the EC conducted the 10th (2014), 11th (2018), and 12th (2024) national elections "without the people's votes and under intimidation".

The case accuses the three chief election commissioners and other election commissioners who served during those polls, as well as former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina – listing a total of 21 individuals as accused.

Following the case, police arrested former Chief Election Commissioners KM Nurul Huda and Kazi Habibul Awal.

The EC Secretariat initiated the data collection after the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) sought information relevant to the case.

Earlier, on 16 June, a press release from the Office of the Chief Adviser Dr Muhammad Yunus said that a decision was made in a meeting of the National Consensus Commission to form a committee to investigate the roles of former CECs, election commissioners, and EC secretariat officials involved in conducting the controversial elections under the previous Awami League governments.