EC Disposes of More Than 6.4 Million NID Correction Applications, Another 128,000 Still Waiting

The Election Commission (EC) has made major progress in correcting National Identity Card (NID) information. Of the 6,570,842 correction applications submitted so far, the commission has disposed of 6,442,832. Against the backdrop of millions of citizens waiting a long time for identity card corrections across the country, this figure shows the biggest picture of progress in the commission's work.

Even after disposing of such a huge number of applications, however, 128,010 applications are still waiting. On the other hand, 1,355,157 applications have been cancelled for various reasons. Disposed, cancelled and waiting — together these three figures make the current picture of the NID correction programme clear.

An analysis of updated information from the EC's National Identity Registration wing up to 18 October shows that, despite notable progress in NID correction work, the commission is now giving special importance to three issues: disposing of applications, sorting out unreasonable applications, and preventing fraud. Initiatives have been taken to make the work faster by setting time limits for disposal, increasing the powers of field-level officers, and regular monitoring at senior levels.

EC officials say the NID correction applications submitted up to 2024 have been disposed of. Disposal of the 2025 applications is also nearly complete. But because an average of 80,000 to 90,000 new applications are submitted every month, some applications remain waiting. Added to this are applications that are not eligible for correction and the tendency to apply again in different categories on the same matter.

The largest number of waiting applications has accumulated in category 'Gha'. According to EC information, 68,269 applications from 2026 are waiting for disposal in category 'Gha'. Another 983 applications from 2025 are waiting in the same category. In total, the number of applications waiting in category 'Gha' is 69,252.

By region, 10,615 applications are waiting in the Dhaka region, 5,140 in Faridpur, 5,871 in Khulna, 8,332 in Mymensingh and 4,477 in Rangpur. In addition, 6,469 applications in Sylhet, 6,875 in Rajshahi, 4,226 in Barisal, 6,688 in Chattogram and 10,559 in Cumilla are waiting for disposal.

These statistics show that the pressure of waiting applications differs by region. The number of waiting applications is comparatively higher in the Dhaka and Cumilla regions. Ensuring quick disposal therefore requires region-based monitoring and effective management.

To bring speed to the NID correction programme, the EC has set specific time limits for disposing of applications. Alongside that, the scope for disposal at upazila and district levels has been increased. Senior management and the relevant directors are regularly monitoring the work.

The EC Secretariat's Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed told BSS that the main aim of disposing of applications is to work accurately. Voter registration must be completed in such a way that no correction is needed later. He said unreasonable applications were not properly verified in all cases in the past; now applications that are not reasonable are being cancelled, and importance is being given to disposing of every application within the prescribed time. He also said a huge number of applications were disposed of last year through a special programme. According to the EC secretary, many correction applications are ones where correction is no longer needed. Again, inconsistencies are found in information provided through local representatives in some applications from voters living abroad; decisions are being taken after verifying those matters.

The Election Commission has strengthened monitoring of date-of-birth corrections in the NID, giving importance to online-verifiable education certificates. The EC recently wrote to all regional election officers on the matter. Under a circular issued on 13 August, applications to correct a date of birth on the basis of an online-verifiable JSC, secondary or equivalent education certificate can be included in category 'Ka' and disposed of by the relevant upazila or thana election officer. However, Open University certificates do not apply in this case. The directive says regional and additional regional election officers will monitor the work of subordinate officers. Alongside that, at least three applications disposed of by each officer must be verified every month on a random basis and a report sent. The report for the period from 13 to 31 August had to be sent by 21 September; thereafter, each month's report must be sent within the first week of the following month. Through this, the commission wants to ensure the correctness of decisions on date-of-birth corrections and the accountability of officers.

Explaining the waiting applications and the reasons for cancellation, the Director (Operations) of the National Identity Registration wing, Md Saiful Islam, told BSS that many applications are not correctable. In age corrections, it is sometimes seen that the age difference between a father and a child is only 10 years. In some cases, after correction it turns out the person's age at the time of becoming a voter was below 18. If such inconsistencies exist, the application is cancelled. He said that after an application is cancelled in one category, the person applies again in another category; this repeats the same kind of application and can make the number of waiting applications seem larger. He also said regular meetings are being held and letters are being sent to the relevant officers to dispose of the waiting applications. Alongside the service mindset and sense of duty of the officers in charge, regular monitoring has also played a role in the progress of disposal.

The Election Commission has stated a strict position on preventing NID-related fraud. When fraud complaints are received, those involved are handed over to law enforcement agencies. If any commission officer or employee is involved, administrative action is also taken against them, EC Secretary Akhtar Ahmed said. He said a media campaign is being run to raise public awareness against fraud. But instead of only taking action after receiving complaints, initiatives are being taken to prevent fraud before it happens; the possibility of launching a technology-based system for this purpose is also being examined. The EC secretary hopes that if a technology-based system can be launched, NID-related fraud can be reduced further. Meanwhile, the NID wing is warning ordinary people not to fall for the temptations of fraud gangs; advice is also being given from the helpdesk on this matter, Director Md Saiful Islam said.

In the reality of 80,000 to 90,000 new applications every month, simply increasing the speed of disposal cannot permanently solve the problem. Strengthening information verification at the time of registration, making applicants aware of providing correct information, and ensuring accountability at every step of correction will be the long-term challenge, the relevant officials believe. They believe that after the success of disposing of more than 6.4 million applications, the big test before the Election Commission now is to quickly dispose of the remaining applications while reducing the need for corrections in the future and building an accurate and reliable national identity registration system.