In Knulha, election officials said revision of the electoral roll began in all the 31 wards in the city and in nine upazilas, but remained tight-lipped on how many new voters were enrolled.

In Nilphamari, most of the Union Parishad (UP) and municipality offices where election commission officials were supposed to sit for enrolling new voters or correcting the original list were found locked, reports our correspondent EAM Asaduzzaman.

Though a government holiday, these offices were supposed to remain open to facilitate election officials update the voter list of 2000. No election official was seen either at any UP or municipality office.

The Election Commission (EC) started updating the voter list as a Supreme Court verdict on May 30 declared null and void the draft voter list announced by it on May 3 and asked it to update it on the basis of the voter list of 2000.

As per a decision of y the EC to update the voter list, assistant registration officers would go to Union Parishad offices, municipality offices, ward commissioner's officers or any convenient place like school, madrasha or college with forms to enrol new voters or correct the list.

Application form No. 7 will be used for inclusion of any name in the voter list, form No. 8 for correction and form No. 9 for deletion of any name from the voter list, according to election officials.

This correspondent visited Nilphamari and Jaldhaka municipality offices and Union Parishad offices at Gayebari in Dimla upazila, Putimari in Kishoreganj upazila and Boragani in Domar upazila yesterday and found all those locked. NO election official was seen.

Jahir Hossen, a resident of Sabuj Para adjacent to Nilphamari municipality office, said he had been waiting in front of office since morning to enrol himself as a voter. But the office was locked and no election official was found there, he said.

Shahidul Islam, chairman of Putimari UP in Kishoreganj, said he did not get nay directive either from the UNO office or from the upazila election office that enrolment of new voter in his area would be performed at his office.

Sources in the district election office said 74 assistant registration officers who earlier prepared the new voter list (now null and void) have been asked to update the voter list in 540 wards under 60 unions and 42 wards under four municipalities in the district. The district election office and upazila election offices will also do the job.

The sources however said assistant registration officers with 3 to 4 persons (former data collectors and supervisors) would go to each ward on a certain date. Before that, a massive publicity would be made through announcements by mike and pasting posters in respective areas to make the people aware. Union Parishad chairmen, members, village police would also be asked to campaign.

There were 11,10,061 voters in the district in the 'rejected' voter list of 2006. The number was 9,31,999 in the voter list 2000, sources said.

Talking to this correspondent, many eligible voters said they apprehend that they would not get the chance to enroll their names in the voter list in the system.

Sreedam Das, Nilphamari district president of Communist Party of Bangladesh said poor day labourers could be dropped as they would prefer to work in fields than going to Union Parishad offices for enrolment.

When contacted, District Election Officer Faridul Islam admitted that no voter was enrolled in his office on the first day yesterday. Enrolment will continue till 31 July.

He however said some assistant registration officers could not go to designated spots as they were busy with June closing report at his office. They will go to spots and correctly update the voter list, he said.

Some voter enumerators this correspondent talked to expressed their displeasure with the new work as they are yet to be paid for the earlier work.

Our Staff Correspondent reports from Khulna Revision of electoral roll began yesterday in all the 31 wards of Khulna metropolitan city and nine upazilas of the district, election officials said.

Assistant registration officers began their work for revising electoral roll sitting in offices of ward commissioners in city and union parishads in 9 upazilas of the district.

There is doubt about full success of revision campaign due to want of necessary manpower, said some assistant registration officers (AROs) in Khulna city.

It could not be known till 5 pm how many persons were enrolled as voters as the district election Officer remained tight-lipped.

He said only one copy of form No. 7 was distributed in the ward commissioner's office in ward no. 28. He however claimed that 35 AROs were working in the city.