Dhaka, Sept 1 – The move to introduce electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the national election has been initiated for ensuring the ruling party’s win in 100 constituencies in advance through digital-rigging, alleged Left Democratic Alliance (LDA) on Saturday. “The EVMs is not the agenda of the Election Commission, rather of the government,” said LDA coordinator and general secretary of Biplabi Workers Party Saiful Haque addressing a rally in the city.
LDA, a combine of eight left-leaning parties, arranged the rally in front of the Jatiya Press Club protesting what they said ‘introduction of controversial and non-transparent EVMs ignoring the opinions of majority stakeholders with an evil attempt for digital-rigging’ in the national election.
Saiful Haque said the EC earlier said no EVM will be used in the national election without political consensus, but it has surprisingly taken the initiative to amend the Representation of the People Order (RPO) to pave the way for the introduction of the machines with none demanding for it.
He demanded the resignation of the current election commissioners before the announcement of the schedules of the 11th national election, reconstitution of the Election Commission and dissolution of the parliament, which he alleged, has got no public mandate.
LDA leader and chief coordinator of Ganasanghati Andolan Junaid Saki said the EC is going to introduce the EVMs at the directives of the government ignoring most of the political parties and without conducting any feasibility study.
“Since the government wants, so the EC also wants to introduce the machines as soon as possible. The current EC is subservient to the government,” he alleged.
In India, all political parties except the ruling one asked the Indian Election Commission not to use EVMs as the EVMs can be tampered, Saki said.
He said there is scope for digital-rigging through tampering the machines. Now the government wants ‘digital-rigging’ alongside ‘analogue-rigging’.
LDA leader Bazlur Rashid Firoz said the government is trying to cling to the power through ‘digital-rigging’.
“Fair and free election is not possible under the present Election Commission,” he said adding that the people has no confidence in the present government and this Election Commission.
LDA Leader and CPB general secretary Shah Alam said, “By taking the initiative of introducing EVMs, it has been proved that the present EC is a worthless one,”
Saiful Haque said the LDA will also stage demonstrations in the capital and all districts and upazilas on September 10 next and will lay siege the Election Commission protesting the EC’s move to introduce EVMs. – UNB
