The much-anticipated 13th National Parliamentary Election will be held on February 12. For the first time, inmates and individuals in legal custody will be able to cast their votes through postal ballots. They will also be eligible to take part in the referendum. Although the Awami League is not contesting the election after being ousted from power following the July movement, several of the party’s former ministers and members of parliament currently in jail have registered to vote. In addition, top leaders of two allied parties from the 14-party alliance — both former ministers — have also registered.

Those registered include former ministers Dipu Moni, Asaduzzaman Noor, Shahjahan Khan, Hasanul Haq Inu, Rashed Khan Menon, and Enamur Rahman.

Not only politicians, but also former law enforcement officials who wielded significant influence during the Awami League era have registered. They include former Director General of the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre (NTMC) Ziaul Ahsan, former Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia, and former DIG Molla Nazrul Islam.

Others on the list of registered inmates include former Dhaka North City Corporation mayor Atiqul Islam, former Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) chairman Shibli Rubayat-ul-Islam, and former Bangladesh Bank deputy governor Sitangshu Sur Chowdhury. Among former secretaries, Shah Kamal, Mesbah Uddin, Mostafa Kamal Uddin, Helaluddin Ahmed, and NM Ziaul Alam have also registered.

According to the Prisons Directorate, the country’s 72 prisons currently hold nearly 87,000 inmates. Of them, 6,363 have registered to vote — meaning only seven out of every 100 inmates expressed interest.

However, the Election Commission rejected 413 registration applications. As a result, despite the total inmate population, only 5,960 prisoners will be eligible to vote. Of them, around 300 were released on bail after registering. As those registered under the postal ballot system cannot vote directly outside prison, they too will be unable to cast their ballots.

Altogether, nine divisions — seven prison divisions and two divisions in Dhaka — a total of 4,118 prison officials and employees have also registered to vote.

Why inmate voter interest remains low

An official of the Prisons Directorate said nearly half of the inmates do not have copies of their national identity cards, preventing them from registering. He said even among those who know their NID numbers, many are reluctant to register to avoid drawing attention to themselves. “Some inmates believe that voting from prison means their information will be transmitted to the Election Commission’s offices. They prefer to remain out of sight and not come out in public,” the official added.

Another reason, he added, is that inmates who register to vote from prison cannot cast a ballot if they are later released on bail. To vote, they would have to return to prison. About one-quarter of inmates are convicted prisoners who also expect to be released on bail and therefore choose not to register.

Meanwhile, an accused person who was released on bail said a large proportion of current inmates are Awami League leaders and activists. Since the party is not participating in this election, he believes, its interest in voting has declined significantly.

Registration completed for 49 VIP inmates, including ministers and MPs

Although many workers and supporters of the Awami League — now an activity-banned political party — have shown little interest in voter registration, several ministers and members of parliament from the ousted government have registered. A number of former secretaries who held senior positions in the previous administration have also registered. In total, 49 VIP inmates, including 25 former ministers and MPs, have completed registration to vote.

Those registered among former ministers and state ministers are Dipu Moni, Asaduzzaman Noor, Imran Ahmad, Shahjahan Khan, Hasanul Haq Inu, Rashed Khan Menon, MP Md Abdul Latif Biswas, Enamur Rahman, and Shahjahan Omar.

Former members of parliament on the list include Md Shah-E-Alam, Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin, Abdus Salam Murshedy, Md Sadek Khan, Abdul Majid Khan, Shirajul Islam Mollah, Rais Uddin, Amirul Alam Milon, Abu Reza Mohammad Nezamuddin, Rahim Ullah, AKM Sarwar Jahan, Md Nobi Newaz, Abdul Aziz, Saddam Hossain Pavel, Md Faizur Rahman Badal, and Md Chayan Islam.

The list also includes former chief justice ABM Khairul Haque, former Dhaka North City Corporation mayor Atiqul Islam, former Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC) chairman Shibli Rubayat-Ul-Islam, and former Bangladesh Bank deputy governor Sitangshu Sur Chowdhury.

Among former law enforcement officials who have registered are former Director General of the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre (NTMC) Ziaul Ahsan; former Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner Asaduzzaman Mia; former DIGs Molla Nazrul Islam and AKM Nahidul Islam; former additional DIG Md Shahidullah; former superintendents of police Md Mohiuddin Faruqi and Abdul Mannan; and former additional superintendents of police Mirza Salahuddin, Shah Md Mashiur Rahman, Ishtiaq Ahmed, and Anirban Chowdhury.

Former secretaries who have registered include Shah Kamal, Mesbah Uddin, Mostafa Kamal Uddin, Helaluddin Ahmed, and NM Ziaul Alam.

When and how postal voting will take place

Assistant Inspector General (Development) of Prisons Jannat-Ul-Farhad said ballot papers have begun arriving at prisons and voting will take place on February 3, 5, and 6. Voting will be open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm on each of those days. Each registered inmate will receive a packet containing three envelopes. One envelope will include the parliamentary ballot paper along with instructions, while another will contain the referendum ballot paper marked for a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ vote. Both ballots must be placed inside a larger envelope and sealed. Once sealed, the envelope cannot be opened without tearing it.

Inmates will submit the sealed envelopes to prison authorities, who will forward them to the post office. The postal department will then send the envelopes to the Election Commission through an express service. The Election Commission will subsequently add the votes to the respective constituencies.

Regarding rejected registration applications, Jannat-Ul-Farhad said these were due to incorrect information, including multiple national identity numbers and errors in NID details.