EC Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed confirmed the development on Monday, June 23, stating that Zubaida Rahman's information had been collected as part of the ongoing voter registration update process. However, her name was only included in the final voter list after the entire update process was completed.
A person must be registered as a voter to stand as a candidate in national elections, and voters can contest elections from any constituency across the country. The process of compiling a photo-based voter list began in 2008, but at that time, both Tarique and Zubaida Rahman were residing in London. The couple had left Bangladesh for the UK on September 11, 2008, and had not returned since. As a result, they had not registered as voters until recently.
Zubaida Rahman returned to Bangladesh on May 6, accompanying BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia after her treatment abroad. In the lead-up to Eid-ul-Azha, EC officials successfully completed the information collection and registration process to officially register her as a voter in Dhaka.
According to the law, the draft voter list must be published by January 2 of the following year after the update process, with the final voter list to be released on March 2. However, in case of a February election, the EC plans to amend the voter list law to ensure the list is finalized before the election.
Although Zubaida Rahman, a doctor by profession, has remained inactive in politics, rumors are circulating regarding her potential candidacy in the upcoming elections. Since her return to the country, discussions have arisen within BNP circles, particularly in Sylhet, about her political involvement.
