The Election Commission on Thursday warned that collecting voters’ personal information and National Identity Card (NID) details in the name of electioneering is a punishable offence under existing laws and election rules.
In a press release, the commission said it has come to its notice that some people are collecting voters’ personal data and NID information under the guise of election campaigning. It said the National Identity Card Registration Act 2010 does not allow anyone to carry or transfer another person’s NID.
The warning came as electioneering officially began on Thursday ahead of the 13th parliamentary election and the referendum, scheduled to be held simultaneously on 12 February.
Referring to the Parliamentary Election Code of Conduct for Political Parties and Candidates Rules, 2025, the commission said no political party, candidate or anyone acting on their behalf is allowed to offer or promise any donation, contribution or gift to any individual, group or institution within an electoral area.
The EC said such activities constitute punishable offences under the rules and urged all citizens and organisations to refrain from engaging in these practices.
Earlier, on 13 January, a delegation of Bangladesh Nationalist Party lodged a complaint with the Election Commission, alleging that a particular political party has been collecting voters’ NID details and mobile phone numbers across the country.
Describing the move as suspicious and unprecedented, BNP Central Election Steering Committee Chairman Nazrul Islam Khan said such activities could be aimed at creating fake voters or influencing voting behaviour.
He also said the collection of mobile financial service numbers could indicate the possibility of monetary transactions.
The election campaign formally began after the commission allocated electoral symbols on Wednesday to 1,972 candidates contesting the election from 298 constituencies, excluding Pabna-1 and Pabna-2.
The number of candidates is expected to increase further once contestants from the two constituencies are added, as there are currently nine valid candidates in Pabna-1 and Pabna-2.
Overall, the total number of candidates across the 300 constituencies stands at 1,981, including 1,732 candidates from 51 registered political parties and 249 independent candidates.
The Election Commission announced the schedule for the 13th parliamentary election and the referendum on the July National Charter (Constitutional Reform) Implementation Order on 11 December, setting 12 February as the polling date for both.
