Making registration of the political parties mandatory, barring the utility service bill defaulters from contesting the polls, introducing transparent ballot boxes and increasing a candidate's election expenditure from Tk 5 lakh to Tk 10 lakh will also figure in the proposals. The commission will meet on Sunday to finalise those, sources said.

The reforms envisage that civil or military bureaucrats cannot compete in an election before three years since their retirement. None will be allowed to stand from more than two constituencies. According to the existing laws, a person can contest at the maximum for five seats.

Besides, it is pondering if implementation of the election manifestos could be brought into a legal framework, making it compulsory for the party voted to power, the sources added.

Once the proposals are finalised, the EC will submit those to the caretaker government.

The government has already amended the Emergency Power Ordinance (EPO) to bar those convicted of corruption by a trial court from running in any election until disposal of appeal against the verdict.

Political experts observe that many big names rounded up by the joint forces might not be able to contest the next parliamentary election.

Alongside the government's efforts to rid politics of corruption, the EC is taking initiative to make electoral laws stricter to make sure the polls are free of corrupt practices and influence of black money.

On orders from the commission, senior officials at the EC Secretariat are working on the proposals for reforms in the electoral system. They are also reviewing the recommendations submitted on different occasions by the civil society members and election watchdogs, the sources said.

If the proposals are enacted, unregistered political parties will not be allowed to take part in the election. Besides, one intending to register with the EC will have to show a minimum popular acceptability. In that case, the EC will use a yardstick to measure the support a political party enjoys among the populace. The measures aim to keep the name-only parties from the polls.

A registered party will have to follow its constitution strictly in its functioning. It will have to have its accounts audited. The registration might be cancelled on violation of any provision of the laws.

Currently, the registration is optional. None of the major political parties has applied for enrolment since introduction of the relevant law in 2001.

The EC also plans to devise a mechanism to prevent use of unauthorised money by the political parties and candidates, the sources added.

Before the 2001 election, the commission's initiative to ban utility service bill defaulters from the polls failed in the face of opposition from the major political parties. This time, it is determined to have the necessary provisions in effect as the caretaker government has already hinted at massive reforms in the electoral system.

Many of the former lawmakers will have to pay their outstanding bills if they are to contest the election with the proposed law coming in force. Some 183 members of the last parliament owe the government Tk 1.25 crore in telephone bills.