A few polling centres, which have been burnt, might be shifted at the last moment, but they would not be set up very far from their earlier locations, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad has said.
Over 100 voting centres have been torched since Friday early hours allegedly by the Opposition activists in a bid to disrupt Bangladesh’s parliamentary polls on Sunday.“Voting will begin tomorrow (Sunday). One or two polling centres may be shifted at the last moment. Shifting process is on, but they will not be set up in their earlier places,” Ahmad said.
Some more polling centres have been damaged partially but they would not require shifting, he said while inaugurating the Media Centre of the Election Commission at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar in Dhaka City.
The Chief Election Commissioner expressed concern over the burning of the school buildings which were to be used as polling centres.
“We are worried as you are about it. (We) have asked for strengthening basic law enforcement from the very beginning.”
“Law and order has improved. We have directed (the law enforcers) to be on alert.”
He said all the poll preparations have been completed. “Election will be very transparent this year.”
Voting will be held from 8am to 4pm in 147 seats out of 300 on Sunday as candidates have already been elected in the remaining seats.
More than 43.9 million voters are expected to cast their vote at 18208 centres on Sunday.
Stating that inaccurate reports create problems, Chief Election Commissioner Ahmad called on the mass media to report facts.
The Election Commission would not hesitate in helping media to run informative reports, he assured.
Terming the mass media a third eye, he said, “We believe in transparency. There is no scope for rigging. We are doing everything by informing the mass media.”
A permanent room will be allocated for journalists at the Election Commission’s under-construction building at Agargaon in the city.
Earlier Election Commission secretary Mohammad Sadik had briefed the media about the entire gamut of the Sunday’s polls. – bdnews24.com
