Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda yesterday said the EC was planning to use electronic voting machines to make sure that ballot boxes could not be stuffed on the night before an election.

He was addressing the trainers of election officials for the fifth phase of upazila polls at the Nirbachan Bhaban yesterday.

He said the Election Commission cannot carry ballot papers to the voting centres on the morning of the polling day. 

Transparency International Bangladesh in a study found that stamping of ballots took place on the night before the general election on December 30 in more than one centres in 33 constituencies out of 50 surveyed.

In 30 constituencies, ballot papers were stamped openly after occupying polling booths on the voting day, said the study titled “Review of Election Process of 11th National Election”.  

The CEC said the situation regarding polls irregularities has been deteriorating gradually.

“The election irregularities could not be stopped despite strict enforcement of related laws and adoption of the electoral code of conduct. We will have to get rid of the situation.”

Huda said the EC would have to take a tough stance on proper enforcement of laws to stop irregularities.

He called upon all election officials to discharge their duties with professionalism.

Referring to the political parties' demand for deployment of army in the elections, the CEC asked, “Which country in the world deploys army for conducting an election?”

He said political parties would take part in elections, people would cast their votes as owners of the country and the EC would carry out its duties smoothly to hold a trouble-free election.

Huda said conducting an election in a nonpartisan manner would be the main objective of the election officials and the candidates' identities and influence would not be considered under any circumstances.

He asked election officials to be careful about not neglecting their duties.

The CEC said defeated candidates always claim that elections are not acceptable while the winners accept the polls results.

Elections to 482 upazila parishads will be held in five phases from tomorrow.

The second, third, fourth and fifth phases of the fifth upazila elections are scheduled for March 18, 24, 31 and June 18.

In 2014, 487 upazilas went to polls in six phases between February and May.

Five Awami League men were killed and over 350 AL supporters were injured since the polls campaign began, claimed HT Imam, co-chairman of Awami League Election Steering Committee, yesterday.

“Every moment we are getting information about attacks on our leaders, activists, and supporters by the BNP-Jamaat men. Hundreds of campaign offices have been vandalised,” he said at a press conference at the media centre of the AL central office.    

Imam demanded that the Election Commission withdraw permission given to nine local election observer organisations. He said the organisations were set to send around 6,585 observers in 140 constituencies and most of the observers were activists of the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami. 

The organisations are: Democracy Watch, Khan Foundation, Light House, Bangladesh Manobadhikar Somonnoy Parishad, Jagoroni Chakra, Nobolok, Coast Trust, Shariatpur Development Society and Noakhali Rural Development Society.

He claimed that Taleya Rehman, wife of journalist Shafik Rehman runs Democracy Watch, wife of BNP leader Moyeen Khan runs Khan Foundation, BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman is founder of Light House, and pro-BNP Adilur Rahman is involved with Bangladesh Manobadhikar Somonnoy Parishad.

Talking to The Daily Star, Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, executive director, Coast Trust, said, “HT Imam is a gentle man. But he misunderstood us.

“As a pro-Liberation War force, we have been cooperating with the pro-Liberation War government, Awami League.”

He also said BNP-Jamaat in 2008 and recently had complained against them “for favouring the AL”.

“As questions have been raised against us, we are considering not getting involved in election observation activities,” he added.

AL REQUESTS TO EC

A delegation of ruling AL yesterday urged the EC to allow journalists to use motorcycles during the election so that they could cover the polls better.

The delegation, led by AL central leader M Akteruzzaman, met EC Secretary Helaluddin Ahmed at the Nirbachan Bhaban.

After the meeting, they told reporters that they also urged the commission to stay alert about criminals cloning phone numbers of EC and admin officials to misdirect field-level officers.

The BNP and Jamaat men were attacking AL activists and police and were using black money in their campaigns, the delegation claimed. They said

Jatiya Oikyafront and BNP-Jamaat were using black money to buy votes.

“We're demanding immediate arrest of all BNP-Jamaat cadres involved in terror attacks and violence … bring them to book … ,” Akteruzzaman added.