Election Commission has noticed 3 out of 5 mayor candidates and 14
out of 137 councilor candidates for violating code of conduct in
Barisal City Corporation election.
EC also decided to use electronic voting machine in one of the 30
wards in the third BCC election scheduled to be held on June 15.
A six-member vigilance and observation committee led by returning
officer has been formed to monitor allegations of violating election
conduct rules, Mujibur Rahman, returning officer for BCC election
said.
As per decision of the committee EC Tuesday issued 3-day show cause
notices to Shawkat Hossain Hiron, the out going mayor, city AL
secretary and AL- led 14-alliance announced official candidate,
Mahmudur Rahman Khan Mamun alias Khan Mamun, mayor candidate and joint
secretary of district Jubo League and Ahsan Habib Kamal, district
(south) BNP president and former BCC Mayor and BNP-led 18-party
alliance announced official candidate for BCC Mayor post.
Besides, 14 councilor candidates also asked to show cause within
24-hours that why charge would not be formed against them for
violating election conduct rule by starting election propagations more
than 21-day before the scheduled election date, the returning officer
said.
Hiron and Kamal organised huge showdowns in the city on occasion of
declaring them as official candidates from their respective alliances
on May 10 and 20 and placed roadside coloured bill boards.
They said they do not started election campaigning, however well
wishers of them may contact with people praying vote for them.
Mamun said he had withdrawn his candidature in second BCC election as
per request from the party and continuing mass contact campaigning for
Mayoral post in third BCC election since then.
However, all of the mayor and councilor candidates started
propagations like mass contact, attending the guardian conferences of
different educational institutions, writing and publishing reports
about the development works done during his tenure as mayor, and
statements by different person, organizations to cast vote in favour
of him.
Returning officer said starting propagation for casting vote, showdown
or other types of propagation more than 21-day before the election
date done by the candidate or any one in favour of him, will violate
election conduct rule.
On other hand, returning officer’s office of third BCC election said
EVM would be used ward no. 16 consisted with 4,181 voters.
The center was chosen on basis of the number of voters, easy
accessibility to the vote center, educational qualification and
professional status of the voters.
We already started propagations with loud speakers, leaflet
distribution, posturing about using EVM in that ward. Before the
election date, 2,447 voters of Zila School center and 1,734 voters of
Commercial College center of that ward would be given training and
shown demonstrations about using EVM, the BCC election returning
officer told.
(Barisal Correspondent)
