EC refutes BNP allegation of ‘hurriedly’ announcing municipal polls schedule ‘on orders’

An election commissioner has denied allegations of the municipal poll schedule being announced ‘hurriedly on orders from someone’.

Md Shah Nawaz said on Tuesday the commission had all along wanted the municipal election in December.
 
“Now, if someone says we have made the schedule in a hurry following someone’s orders, it’s a total lie,” Nawaz said.
 
The Election Commission has announced Dec 30 as the poll date for 236 municipalities.
 
For the first time, local government body elections are to be held on party lines.
 
Political parties are now free to nominate mayoral candidates to contest with party symbols.
 
The BNP wanted the polls postponed by at least 15 days after the schedule was announced on Nov 24.
 
But the commission rejected the demand on Monday.
 
BNP spokesperson Asaduzzaman Ripon on Tuesday doubted that a ‘fair’ election could be held, questioning the impartiality of the present EC.    
 
“They do not see the voters and the people, they only see the government,” he said.
 
He criticised the EC for refusing to defer the poll date.
 
Election Commissioner Nawaz said, “This allegation is totally untrue. We are impartial. The election will be free and fair.”
 
He said the EC decided against pushing back the polls in view of Biswa Ijtema, the SSC exams, and the publication of an updated voter list.
 
“Amending the rules after announcing the schedule would be illegal. We would have had to prepare a new schedule if we were to defer the polls, something that we cannot possibly do,” he said.
 
Regarding the BNP’s complaint that its aspirants were being arrested, Election Commissioner Md Zabed Ali said the EC had little to do in the matter, as “these are criminal issues”.

One municipality likely to drop

A High Court order has raised doubts that the election to the Mongla Port municipality in Bagerhat will indeed be held on Dec 30.

EC Deputy Secretary Mohsinul Haque said the court on Nov 18 stayed the polls there for six months.

The EC is now dropping the municipality from the Dec 30 schedule for legal reasons, Haque said.

He said officials were instructed to inform the returning officer about the decision.