"There is no failure to prepare the voter list and the answer is no, no, an emphatic no," he said when a reporter asked him if he would resign admitting the "failure."

The CEC's denial came at a press conference he addressed after a long break since he stopped meeting the press about four months ago.

Though he imposed restriction on asking question at yesterday's press conference, a reporter threw a question while he was leaving and he replied it.

At the beginning of the press conference, he said he would not reply any question due to time constraints. "Question-answer will be in future," he said.

During the press meet that lasted hardly 10 minutes, Aziz made his brief statement on the preparation of voter list to dispel controversies over the list.

The CEC admitted that there might be duplications in the voter list. "We don't have enough manpower to prepare the list from such a huge population. We have to recruit government officers, school and college teachers to accomplish the task."

Aziz said the EC has received 26 objections from individuals and 22 from the media about the irregularities in the voter list. "We forwarded all allegations to the election officials concerned for investigation," he told reporters.

However, the CEC defended the sharp rise in the number of voters in the draft list. "The rise in the number of voter was 33.69 per cent in the voter list prepared in 2000 while this year the rise is 22.4 per cent," he explained.

About the allegation raised by the law minister of enlisting fake voters in his constituency, the CEC said they have not received such allegations. "However, we have directed the election officials concerned and revising authority to probe the allegation. The revising authority will hold hearing on the allegation on May 24."

Referring to the laws, the CEC said punitive action could be taken against any official involved with the preparation of the voter list, if he is proved guilty. Even any person can be punished if he submits false declaration to be a voter.

But Aziz did not specify whether anyone has been punished for this.

The CEC, who last time met the press on January 31, addressed yesterday's press meet at the conference room of the EC Secretariat in presence of two election commissioners, Justice Mahfuzur Rahman and SM Zakaria.

Aziz who on April 25 launched a broadside on certain "vested quarters" and the media for "undermining democratic practices and destroying people's aspirations," yesterday lauded the role of the media in helping the EC to prepare a fair voter list.

"Your (journalists) investigative journalism will help prepare a fair voter list," Aziz said. "Election Commission will be able to present a fair election if your support continues."

About a month ago, Aziz at a luncheon meeting organised by American Chamber of Commerce said, "Some interested quarters and the media as a whole have raised a simulated storm in a tea cup as if heaven will fall if the voter list is prepared."

Aziz then accused the media of distorting facts referring to reports on various irregularities in the process and procedure of making the fresh voter list.

Since the publication of the draft voter list on May 3, the media have disclosed gross irregularities in the draft list, but the CEC and other two new election commissioners refused to make any comment.