Tasnim Zara, who recently resigned from the NCP, is facing difficulties collecting voter signatures required to run as an independent candidate in Bangladesh’s Dhaka-9 constituency. According to election rules, an independent candidate must submit signatures or affidavits from at least one percent of the total voters in their constituency, along with other required documents. Zara began collecting signatures from Khilgaon on Sunday but reported that obtaining voter serial numbers has become nearly impossible.
She stated that there are five official ways to access voter serial numbers—via SMS, online, phone calls, and QR codes—but claimed that none of these methods are currently functional. Zara alleged that the Election Commission has effectively blocked all avenues to retrieve voter numbers, and the commission’s website server remains down. She expressed concern that this situation makes it impossible to complete the required documentation.
With the nomination submission deadline set for today, uncertainty remains over whether Zara will be able to gather the necessary voter serial numbers in time to qualify as an independent candidate.