Dhaka, Jan 27 – Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda yesterday said the Dhaka City Corporation polls cannot be made questionable by a few isolated incidents. He further said the city election environment is better than any other time.
He came up with the statement while visiting a training event on Electronic Voting Machines at Tikatoli in the capital.
“The election would be competitive. So the voter turnout would increase. Voters are showing interest to cast votes through EVM,” he said.
In addition, he said there would be a demonstration on Tuesday to show how votes can be cast through EVM and the mock voting would take place on January 30 to prepare the voters how they would cast votes on the polling day on February 1.
He also said some may raise questions for taking votes through new methods.
Meanwhile, delegations of both ruling Awami League (AL) and opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) yesterday met EC separately to tell about the environment of Dhaka North City Corporation and Dhaka South City Corporation polls.
BNP delegation led by its standing committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud alleged that AL candidates are violating all sorts of electoral code of conduct.
“AL candidates are erecting election offices on the footpaths by occupying the space. They have set up hundreds of such offices. There are five offices around my residence. They are using loudspeakers with high volumes, using big size posters. Thus they are violating electoral code of conduct,” he added.
“They are not obeying anything. Where is the level playing field then?” he questioned before the journalists at the Nirbachan Bhaban.
He also alleged that the election observers organisation also belong to the supporters and party leaders of Awami League.
Asked about what they have discussed with the EC, he said, “We have talked about the security of our candidates in the elections. Awami League activists are attacking our candidates but no action is being taken against them, rather our party men are facing cases. There is no security for our candidates”
In reply to another query that BNP men have attacked AL supporters in the election campaign, he said, “People of Bangladesh are not foolish that BNP has attacked AL. People will not believe it.”
After the meeting of BNP with Chief Election Commission, AL delegation led by prime minister’s political adviser HT Imam met CEC in another meeting.
HT Imam told the journalists “If BNP does not believe in polls, why they have come to the elections.” – Staff Reporter
