VCA political controversy has surfaced over allegations that voters from different parts of the country have changed their addresses and been transferred to parliamentary constituencies in Dhaka.
Ahead of the February election, BNP has alleged that a political party – pointing to Jamaat-e-Islami without naming it – has deliberately relocated voters from various regions to Dhaka constituencies to secure victories for its candidates.
On Sunday, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir met Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin to raise the issue.
During the meeting, he urged the Election Commission to urgently disclose detailed data on the number of voters transferred to Dhaka’s parliamentary constituencies.
Meanwhile, the issue has triggered widespread discussion and criticism on social media.
Election Commission, however, maintains that voter transfer is a routine administrative process and that no irregularities or suspicious activity have been detected.
ASM Humayun Kabir, director general of the National Identity Registration Wing at Election Commission, told TIMES of Bangladesh that the transfers appeared normal.
“I do not understand why questions are being raised over this issue,” he said, declining to elaborate.
Officials familiar with the process said no single constituency in Dhaka recorded more than 3,000 to 4,000 transferred voters.
According to the sources, voters routinely change constituencies due to employment, education, family needs or changes in residence, although applications tend to rise ahead of elections.
Between 1 January and 10 November last year, more than 700,000 applications for constituency changes were filed nationwide, with over 650,000 approved.
Election Commission officials said the procedure for changing a voter’s constituency is stringent.
Applicants must submit documents such as a citizenship certificate from the new area, electricity bills or rental agreements.
They must also provide the National Identity Card number, signature and official seal of the locally elected representative in the destination area.
Given these requirements, officials argue that arranging sudden or large-scale voter transfers at will is not feasible.
Muhammad Ashraf Hossain, system manager of the National Identity Registration Wing at the Election Commission, told Times of Bangladesh that Dhaka district has added nearly 300,000 voters this time, all newly registered across different age groups.
He said around 40,000 voters from Dhaka and other districts were transferred into Dhaka’s parliamentary constituencies over the past year.
Election Commission officials said the fluctuations in voter numbers largely stem from the re-demarcation of parliamentary constituency boundaries, which affected six seats.
They said Dhaka-2, 4, 5, 7, 10 and 14 were redrawn, leading to corresponding gains and losses, while the inclusion of new voters also contributed to constituency-wise variations.
Higher transfers in Mirpur and Demra
According to data from the Election Commission’s National Identity Registration Wing, Mirpur, Demra and Pallabi recorded the highest number of voter transfers among Dhaka’s 53 police stations between August 2025 and 10 November.
During the period, 1,627 voters transferred in Mirpur, followed by 1,444 in Demra and 1,235 in Pallabi. Keraniganj ranked next with 1,207 transfers, while Badda recorded 851, Kafrul 811, Savar 771, Khilgaon 742, Jatrabari 717 and Paltan 638.
Transfers were also recorded in Dhamrai, Kadamtali, Gulshan, Ramna, Dhanmondi, Banani, Bhatara, Shahjahanpur, Turag, Nawabganj and Mohammadpur. Relatively fewer transfers were reported in Adabar, Shahbagh, Uttara West and Uttarkhan.
The lowest numbers were seen in Bhasantek, Khilkhet, Kotwali and Kamrangirchar.
Voter fluctuation across Dhaka’s 20 constituencies
Compared to the 12th national parliamentary election, Dhaka’s 20 parliamentary constituencies have seen a net increase of nearly 300,000 voters ahead of the 13th election.
Election Commission data show that the total voter count in the capital rose from 8,170,519 in the 12th election to 8,465,985 in the 13th, an increase of 295,466.
The change reflects both new voter inclusion and constituency boundary re-demarcation, which led to sharp increases and declines in several seats. A constituency-wise analysis shows voter numbers increased in 17 constituencies, with Dhaka-7 posting the largest rise at 136,287 voters.
Dhaka-4 added 107,929 voters, Dhaka-10 gained 63,727, and Dhaka-14 increased by 37,832.
Further increases were recorded in Dhaka-1 with 31,531 voters, Dhaka-18 with 25,334, Dhaka-20 with 20,657, Dhaka-3 with 19,617, Dhaka-9 with 19,408, Dhaka-13 with 13,355, Dhaka-11 with 12,541 and Dhaka-16 with 12,258 voters.
Dhaka-6 saw an increase of 10,851 voters, Dhaka-17 gained 9,845, Dhaka-15 added 7,121, Dhaka-8 gained 4,821, while Dhaka-12 recorded a marginal rise of 209 voters.
In contrast, Dhaka-2 recorded the steepest decline, losing 139,743 voters. Dhaka-5 also saw a drop of 70,768 voters, while Dhaka-19 lost 9,346.
