Noman Mosharef :
The Election Commission (EC) is on the hardline over the dual voter issue and therefore the constitutional body has taken decision in principle that it will examine on approach whether the applicant is a dual voter.
As such, the EC has formed a field level committee to solve the dual voter (already identified) cases.
EC source said, if any citizen wants to become a voter, his/her all information uploaded in EC server will be examined for matching. This process will help the EC to be sure as to whether the applicant is a dual voter or not. EC’s system Manager Md Ashraf Hossain said, there is no minimum possibility to become a dual voter nowadays. He said, the Automated Fingerprint Identification Systems (AFIS) technology is not being used at the field level now. It will be used at every level to find out the dual voter.
Recently, in a meeting for using IT (Information Technology) in NID (National Identity Cards), voter list and election management system said, according to voter database server information there are about 5,29,806 dual voters in the country while match found 6,38,139 voters.
Experts said, due to weakness of AFIS system more match finding voters have been detected. The meeting further said, EC has given directives to field level officials to file case against 1057 dual voters. Of them the case was filed against 556 and rest is under process.
EC’s additional Secretary Ashoak Kumar Debnath said, a decision had been taken that the field level official could arrange hearing programme on dual voter issue.
He said, a significant number of people became dual voters for lack of their knowledge while others with ill motives. Those who have no bad intention, they will get pardon, but who has deceptive wills they will be prosecuted by filing cases.
According to EC’s information, the number of the total voters is 111,720,669, of which 56,598,005 (50.66%) are men, 55,122,223 females (49.33%) and 441 transgenders in the country.
From 1st September 2015, EC started to charge for NID cards related services.
