EC to deploy army for Dhaka, Chittagong city polls

The Election Commission has decided to deploy army alongside other security forces to keep law and order during the city corporation vote, which if happens, will be a first in local government polls.

“We’ll be bringing in the army so that the people will have no fear and voters can exercise their franchise freely and fearlessly,” Election Commissioner Md Shah Nawaz told journalists on Tuesday.

They will wait to be called in by the returning officer.

The law enforcers and ruling Awami League saw no need to deploy army, but the BNP and like-minded parties have been demanding their presence since the start.

Even on Monday, the commission was unsure about whether to call in the army ahead of the Apr 28 polls in Dhaka North, South and Chittagong city corporations.

Shah Nawaz appeared before journalists with the decision after the commission reached a consensus following several rounds of meeting on army deployment.

He said: “We’ve agreed on calling in army in all three city corporations. We’ve decided in principle to keep army deployed from Apr 26 to 29.”

The commissioner said: “We’ve already held two rounds of meeting. We know whatever we need to and completed the communication. We’ve no plans to sit again (on the matter) unless it is necessary.”

He said members of police, BGB, Ansar-VDP and Coast Guard would be deployed four days before the polls.

The commission has never deployed army for the local government elections.

Four years ago, the commission headed by ATM Shamsul Huda had written to Armed Forces Division asking for army deployment in the Narayanganj city polls.

Later, they said their request could not be entertained since they could not finish formalities. The prime minister, in-charge of the defence ministry, was abroad at the time.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, this time too, is on a visit to Indonesia. She will return on Apr 23, five days before the polls and three days before the planned deployment.

‘Reserve but ready to strike’

Shah Nawaz said law-enforcing and intelligence agencies told them in a meeting on Sunday that overall pre-polls situation was ‘very good’ and there was no problem with law and order.

Despite that, he said, the commission decided to assign troops to stage fair and acceptable elections and allay any fear on public minds.

“Now we’ll do whatever is needed with them. We’ll use army as reserve and striking force. They will move whenever the returning officer will ask. They will do whatever is needed to be done,” he added.

The commissioner said the number of troops would be determined through discussions.

He said the magistrates would accompany army personnel so that urgent actions could be taken.

Situation is different this year

Shah Nawaz thinks the commission will get army for election duty this time.

To a question, he said: “I’m talking about today and current situation. I don’t find it necessary to discuss what happened before.”

The commissioner said a level playing had been created in the elections.

“We’ve done whatever was needed for creating a level playing field. All has joined the polls accepting that,” he added.

Process to ask for army

EC officials said the commission secretariat would write to principal staff officer of the Armed Forces Division asking for army deployment.

The army members on election duty will work under articles 130 and 131 of the Criminal Procedure Code and sections seven and 10 of the ‘’ issued by the defence ministry.