After 17 years abroad, BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has completed the formal process to be included in the voter list and to obtain his National Identity Card (NID).

Two days after returning from London, he began his day on Saturday by paying tribute at the grave of Shaheed Osman Hadi in the Dhaka University area. Accompanied by party leaders and activists, he later proceeded to Agargaon, where he completed voter registration procedures at the Election Training Institute.

Tarique Rahman left his Gulshan residence in the morning under tight security. Unlike the previous two days, he did not travel in a red-and-green decorated bus; instead, he used a white SUV adorned with flowers.

BNP had earlier announced that he would complete voter registration on 27 December, and the Election Commission had made the necessary arrangements in advance.

Around 1:00 pm, he arrived at the Election Training Institute building behind the Election Commission headquarters in Agargaon. A designated room on the ground floor of the building provides NID-related services for expatriates and high-profile individuals.

Inside the room, Tarique Rahman had his photograph taken, provided fingerprints from all ten fingers, eye iris scans, and his signature. Election Commission Secretary Akhtar Ahmed was present during the process.

Earlier in the day, NID Wing Director General ASM Humayun Kabir told journalists that voter registration involves collecting photographs, iris scans, and fingerprints, which are uploaded to the EC database. The information is cross-checked with existing records at the data center before a unique number is generated through the system.

When asked how long the process might take, Humayun Kabir said it varies by individual and could take anywhere from five to ten hours, or even longer in some cases, while others may complete it more quickly.

Although the Election Commission has already finalized the voter list for the upcoming 13th parliamentary election, the law allows the commission to add the name of any eligible voter at any time.

Bangladesh introduced its first photo-based voter list in 2008 during the post–1/11 caretaker government period. Tarique Rahman, the elder son of BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, left for London on 11 September 2008 after being released from detention. As he was abroad at the time, his name was not included in the voter list. He remained outside the country throughout subsequent Awami League governments and therefore did not become a registered voter.

Following last year’s July uprising that led to the fall of the Awami League government, an interim administration has been steering the country toward the 13th parliamentary election scheduled for February. The election schedule was announced on 11 December, with voting set for 12 February.

Tarique Rahman is expected to contest the upcoming election from his ancestral constituency, Bogura Sadar (Bogura-6), as the BNP candidate. Local party leaders have already collected nomination papers on his behalf.