Polls officials despite party affiliation

Jahirul Islam Khan is the vice president of Keshabpur union Jubo League.

A Bengali teacher of newly nationalised Bauphal Degree College, he has been appointed as a presiding officer in violation of the Election Commission's guidelines.

He took training last week, but he was allegedly campaigning for Awami League candidate ASM Feroz in Patuakhali-2.

Another teacher of the college, Lutfor Rahman, is making preparation for his polls duties on December 30 as a presiding officer. He is the joint secretary of Bauphal municipality AL.

Jahirul and Lutfor are no exception. At least five more upazila- and union-level AL leaders and activists have been appointed as election officials in the constituency.

According to the EC's guidelines on the appointment, officials and teachers whose neutrality is doubtful cannot be appointed as election officials.

Sources at Bauphal upazila election office said 506 booths would be set up at 108 polling centres for the constituency's 251,858 voters. To conduct the polls, the upazila election office has appointed at least 114 presiding officers, 531 assistant presiding officers and 1,062 polling officers.

The office arranged training for these officers in the upazila town on December 16-17.

BNP candidate Salma Alam alleged that many of the enlisted officials were involved in AL politics. Some of them were also campaigning for the AL candidate.

Among the presiding officers are Abdul Maleq Mollah, Kabiruzzaman and Kamrul Hasan. Maleq, principal of Abdur Rashid Khan Degree College, is the forest and environment affairs secretary of Bauphal upazila AL.

Kabiruzzaman, another teacher of the college, is assistant publication secretary of the same AL unit. Kamrul, a teacher of Nurainpur College, is a member of Sujyamoni union Jubo League and also a former Chhatra League secretary in the same union.

Among the others are Headmaster Mahbubur Rahman of Najirpur Chhoto Dalima High School and Mizanur Rahman, an English teacher of Engineer Faruq Talukder Women's Degree College. Mahbubur is the organising secretary of Dashpara union AL while Mizanur is a member of same AL unit.

BNP contender Salma Alam alleged that Humayun Kabir, principal of Dr Eaqub Sharif Degree College, was taking part in the polls campaign of the AL candidate.

The other election official appointees are Nazmul Kabir (accounting), Mostafizur Rahman (political science) and Swapan Kumar Samaddar (sociology) of Bauphal Degree College.

Contacted, all the seven presiding officers declined to comment on their appointments.

The Daily Star phoned Humayun for his comment, but he did not pick up the call.

BNP candidate Salma alleged that the local administration enlisted the AL men as polls officials to use them in “election engineering”.

She urged the local administration to withdraw these officers for the sake of a credible election.

Pijush Chandra Dey, assistant returning officer and also the Baupal UNO, said, “We will investigate the allegations and take steps if those are found to be true.”