After Khulna polls, Election Commission starts soul-searching quietly

The Election Commission may seem indifferent to the allegations of irregularities but quietly says it will learn from its experience in conducting the polls in Khulna city and correct possible ‘flaws and shortcomings’ in future.

The election last week saw a voter turnout of 62 percent in 286 polling centres, except for the three where voting was stalled due to irregularities, according to EC.

The EC said the election was held in an “excellent, nice and festive” environment despite the BNP’s allegations of rigging in more than 100 centres and election monitoring agencies’ mention of 12 types of irregularities.

Formal results showed that 91.38 percent, 97.6 percent and 99.94 percent votes were cast in three centres, which emerged as disturbing evidence of rigging.

Also, nine centres saw more than 80 percent of “voter turnout” and 45 centres saw more than 70 percent, which raises questions over the election.

Election Commissioner Md Rafiqul Islam did not find it abnormal when more than 90 percent votes were cast at some centres in the local election.

He believed voters were excited as the candidates had joined the foray with their party symbols and also councillor candidates launched an intense campaign to persuade people to vote.

A general view of a polling station in Khulna City during Tuesday’s voting. Photo: Mostafigur Rahman

“Yes, there was only a single ballot left to be stamped in a centre, but it had 247 of its votes cancelled; we cannot claim 90 percent votes were cast,” he told bdnews24.com.

He said the interest of councillor candidates turned the election into a nail-biting one and 80 percent to 88 percent votes were cast for the councillor posts.

“We had suspended voting in three centres when there was a complaint of irregularities, but it never happened that voters couldn’t vote as ballot papers were all used up,” he said.

“So, you cannot generalise saying the KCC polls had irregularities,” Islam said adding there would have been more votes cast in those centres, if irregularities had been practised.

The EC has already analysed the KCC election results on Thursday. “We have some dissatisfaction over the entire election process and agreed to get over the shortcomings in future.”

However, he said at present there has been no new measure taken over Tuesday’s election.

“The centre that saw fewer voters was located in an area that houses mostly workers who were absent; on the other hand, councillors might had been more active in the centre which saw voters to pour in. Something might have happened in the centre that had 99. 94 percent votes cast.”

Election Working Group or EWG Director Abdul Alim said they monitored 145 centres and witnessed stray incidents of violence and irregularities.

Violence, illegal stamping, obstruction, providing transport to voters, preventing election monitors to enter centres, campaign within 400 yards of polling centres, and favour to specific candidates by law-enforcement agencies were some of the irregularities, said Alim.

“These incidents were very few and that did not influence the election outcome,” he said.

BNP’s Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, however, accused the EC of favouring the Awami League-backed candidate.

“The Election Commission has yielded to the government; it is nothing but a compromised copy of government,” he said.

Islam said political parties should follow the election rules and assign approved agents to all polling centres, rather than complaining against the EC.

A committee headed by EC Joint Secretary Khondaker Mizanur Rahman has been formed to investigate the three centres where voting was suspended. Other members of the committee are Deputy-Secretary Farhad Hossain and Senior Assistant Secretary Shah Alam.

The committee has been asked to submit the report by May 27.