Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad on Thursday said the fact that the Election Commission’s neutrality is being questioned by all political parties rather means that it is taking action against all of them, in cases of polls code violations ahead of the December 30 municipal election.“Impartial role will be played amid questions over neutrality. If all face some difficulties, it means that we take action against all. We’ll take action whenever the election code is violated,” the CEC told reporters while leaving his EC Secretariat office on Thursday evening.
Earlier in the day, an Awami League delegation led by its joint general secretary Mahbub-ul Alam Hanif met the CEC and alleged that the EC is more sympathetic towards BNP, and harsh towards the ruling party.
Kazi Rakibuddin said the EC is displaying its impartiality by taking action to address all incidents of election code violations.
“We want to arrange the election in free and fair manners. We want to take action as per the laws. There is no question of being sympathetic or cruel towards anyone. We’re trying to ensure constitutional rights to all,” he said when his attention was drawn to AL’s complaint.
Turning to election violence, the CEC said it has unfortunately turned into a culture. “The political culture will improve over the days. A day will come when there is no need for deployment of police, BGB and Rab in the polling station,” he hoped.
Terming recent incidents of election violence as ‘stray incidents’, he said the media played them up in such a way as to create the impression that violence was taking place in many areas.
