Names, photos don’t match voter list at Dhanmondi centre, causing hassle

Several voters faced difficulties at a women’s polling centre at Dhanmondi Government Girls’ School in the capital after discrepancies were found between voter numbers and the corresponding names and photographs on the voter list.

By around 8:15am on Thursday, eight voters had approached the presiding officer at the centre to report the issue. However, the presiding officer was unable to offer a solution.

Zarin Ara, who came to vote for the first time, said she had downloaded her voter number and polling location from the app before arriving. But upon reaching the centre, she was informed that her name and photograph did not match the list. After she raised the matter, the presiding officer told her nothing could be done.

Another voter, elderly Shirin Ahmed, reported facing the same problem. She said she had arrived excited to cast her vote but was now in distress because nothing matched on the list and she did not know what to do next.

Bilqis Nahar also described a similar experience, saying that after such a long time she had come to vote only to encounter this inconvenience, and no one could explain how it would be resolved.

Presiding officer Nur Hossain told Prothom Alo that not everyone had faced the issue, but some discrepancies had been detected. He said he had consulted election officials responsible for the process, who informed him that the voter list available at the centre was updated; if details did not match, voting could not be allowed.

Meanwhile, several voters were seen leaving the centre after casting their ballots. Some took selfies, and others arrived in groups with family members, capturing photos to preserve the occasion as a memory.