EC says BNP’s city polls-related demands beyond its jurisdiction

The Election Commission has said it can do nothing about most of the BNP demands related to city corporation polls since they are beyond the Commission’s jurisdiction.

A seven-member BNP team, led by Standing Committee member ASM Hannan Shah, met Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad at the EC Secretariat on Wednesday, seeking steps on their five demands.

The BNP has demanded that candidates of the city corporation polls be protected from ‘harassment’ in criminal cases.

They also demanded aspirants having cases against them not be arrested.

The election of the Dhaka South, Dhaka North and Chittagong city corporations are slated for Apr 28.

After meeting the BNP leaders, the CEC told reporters, “I have made it clear to them that we will do everything possible according to the law to hold a fair election.”

Regarding the arrest and harassment issues, Ahmad said, “The (BNP) delegation itself has said that those who have cases will fight them in court. We can’t do anything about court-related issues.”

“The EC also cannot get those (aspirants) who are in hiding or are on the run out in the open. Those out on bail will get one kind of treatment and the fugitives another, as the law stipulates.”

The BNP leaders had drawn the CEC’s attention to many candidates having won elections in the past while being in prison.

Ahmad said, “The voters are more conscious now. They will choose the qualified candidates, and the (BNP) delegation said they believed that too.”

The Election Commission has nothing to do about the scrapping of BNP leader Abdul Awal Mintoo’s nomination papers, he said.

“An appeal, if made, can resolve it for good.”

Responding to queries from journalists on whether the army would be deployed during the city polls, the CEC said they would decide on that in the next meeting on law and order.