CEC KM Nurul Huda sent a letter to the Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury today requesting not to allow any lawmaker to participate in election campaign in upcoming city polls.

Election Commission secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed told The Daily Star that the CEC sent the letter following media reports that lawmakers are participating in the election campaign which is a violation of electoral code of conduct.

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Polls code violated in Rajshahi

According to electoral code of conduct, lawmakers cannot part in any electoral campaign.

Regarding the arrest of BNP leaders and activists, he said police arrested people on specific allegation and none was harassed.

If anyone has any criminal charges, police will arrest him, that is natural but no one is arrested without any specific allegation.

The city corporation elections to Rajshahi, Sylhet and Barisal will be held on July 30.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda yesterday said the national election would not be inclusive without the participation of the BNP.

“The BNP is a big political party. How is it possible to hold an inclusive election without its participation? The election will not be participatory without the BNP. I had said it earlier and I am saying it again,” he said.

He came up with the comment when ruling Awami League collected nomination form for the presidential candidate at Nirbachan Bhaban.

The CEC expressed the hope that the BNP and other political parties would contest the national election likely to be held by the end of this year.

“Still I hope that the BNP and all the political parties will contest the polls.”

The BNP boycotted the January 5, 2014 elections demanding polls under a non-partisan interim administration. It has still been demanding the same, but the ruling party says the next general election will be held under the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina-led administration.

The BNP has recently started alleging that the government is trying to keep party chief Khaleda Zia and her party away from the polls as well as politics.

Rejecting the allegation, ruling party leaders said it is the responsibility a political party to contest the polls, not of the government to bring it in the election.

Hasina in parliament has recently outlined the election-time government.

CEC Nurul Huda said the commission always wants participation of all political parties in the election and they would be able to avail themselves of the same facilities.

The EC would conduct the election in a neutral manner, he assured.

The ruling AL has collected the party's nomination paper on behalf of President Abdul Hamid to run the presidency for another term.

A team of the AL parliamentary members, led by Jatiya Sangsad Chief Whip ASM Feroz, went to the EC at Agargaon in the capital and collected the nomination paper yesterday morning, Asaduzzaman Arju, joint secretary (media and publications) of the EC, told The Daily Star.

The other members of the team are Jatiya Sangsad whips Md Iqbalur Rahim and Md Shahiduzzaman Sarker.

If any other political party that has representation in parliament does not nominate any candidate, Hamid would be elected unopposed in the elections, Asaduzzaman added.

On Thursday, Hasina formally conveyed the president of her party's nomination to him to run the presidency for another term.

Earlier on January 31, the AL Parliamentary Board made the decision at a meeting at the Gono Bhaban with party chief Sheikh Hasina in the chair.

The tenure of Hamid, who took office on April 24, 2013, will expire on April 23 this year.

The presidential election is scheduled to be held on February 18.

According to article 123 of the Constitution, presidential election has to be held within 90 to 60 days of expiry of the president's five-year term.

The presidential election is deemed crucial as the next parliamentary polls will be held at the end of this year. This means the next president will be in office for four years of the next government.

Before taking oath as the president, Hamid was elected lawmaker seven times and also served as the Speaker twice.

He became acting president on March 14, 2013 after the then president Zillur Rahman was admitted to Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore on March 10. Zillur breathed his last at the hospital on March 20.

Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda yesterday said army deployment would not be necessary during the upcoming Rangpur City Corporation (RCC) polls.

Law enforcement agencies are capable of ensuring a free, fair and credible election, he told reporters after a meeting with officials entrusted with the task of holding the election on December 21, at the divisional commissioner's office in Rangpur.

Earlier in the day, during the CEC's meeting with the mayor candidates, BNP mayor hopeful Kawsar Zaman Babla expressed fear of vote rigging and asked for army deployment during the polls.

The CEC also told reporters that contestants would face tough actions if they attempt to buy voters with money or muscle power.

Along with the Ansar men, there will be 23 armed members of BGB, Rab and police at each poling centre, he said.

“The election will be free, fair and credible.”

The CEC also added that 22 mobile courts were conducting drives in the RCC area to prevent any violation of the electoral code of conduct. From today, a mobile court would be deployed at each of the 33 wards to monitor law and order.

“Army deploy is not necessity.”

He stressed that nobody violating the electoral code of conduct and deteriorating the law and order situation would be spared.

Asked about allegations that law enforcers were harassing BNP leaders and activists, he said, “They are not harassing anybody.”

The Election Commission has ensured equal rights of all, he said, adding that mayor candidates can setup six election camps in the RCC areas.

Besides, each mayor candidate can use a loud speaker in each of the 33 wards.

The Election commission is thinking about using EVM (Electronic Voting Machine) at one polling centre.

Mayor and councillor candidates, in their meeting with the CEC, demanded that ballot counts be finalised at the polling centres. They also demanded suspending of mobile banking services to prevent transactions of black money.

Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda today said there is no scope for the Election Commission to back off from the EVM use and this machine will be used on a limited scale in the national election.

“There’s no scope to retreat from it (the use of EVM). We’ll have to go ahead with these. We seek cooperation from all of you,” he said while addressing the inaugural function of a daylong EVM fair in Dhaka.

The Election Commission arranged the fair at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre to showcase the use of Electronic Voting Machines.

Addressing the function, the CEC said if the political parties want they can send experts to find out whether there is any loophole in EVM. “We’ll fix it, if any.”

Pointing at the political parties, he said, “You, come together with technology experts if you have, and examine these. If we've any flaws, please help us correct those.”

The CEC said no voter lodged any complaint about the EVM when the machines were used in the recent city corporation elections. “They (voters) were happy. If the voters are happy we’re also happy,” he said.

Election Commissioner Rafiqul Islam termed the traditional voting-casting system with ballot paper “troublesome and time-consuming”.

“I can assure you that this (EVM) is one of the technically-sound machines,” he said adding that there is no scope to hack or tamper the machine as it is totally an offline machine.

No fake voter can cast their votes with the EVMs and no one can stuff ballot boxes before the stipulated time, he mentioned adding that every voter will have to go through the biometric verification process to cast vote with the machine.

EC Secretary Helaluddin Ahmed presided over the event, while Director General of EC’s National Identity Registration Wing Brig Gen Mohammad Saidur Islam made a presentation over the EVM.

At the fair, the commission made arrangements for the people to cast mock votes with the demo EVMs through 15 stalls.

Earlier, the EC displayed the EVMs in the Development Fair 2018 (Unnayan Mela) held in October last in the capital and elsewhere across the country.