CEC assures of fair KCC election
Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda yesterday assured that the upcoming Khulna City Corporation election will be more free and fair in comparison with the election to the Rangpur City Corporation.
“The election atmosphere and reports of different government agencies have so far made us hopeful that the election to the Khulna City Corporation will be more peaceful than the recently held election to the Rangpur City Corporation,” the CEC said at a views-exchange meeting in Khulna city.
The Election Commission organised the meeting to obtain recommendations and views on the election atmosphere from mayoral and councillor candidates.
Earlier at the programme, councillor and mayoral candidates -- mostly BNP-backed and BNP-nominated ones -- raised complaints to the CEC that they have been facing various obstacles during electioneering, caused by Awami League-supported councillors and mayoral candidates.
“Is the electoral code of conduct applicable only to us? Isn't it applicable to the candidates backed by the ruling party [as well]?” asked Mohammad Ali, an independent councillor candidate in Ward 5.
“Their supporters and they [Al backed councillor candidates] don't care about abiding by the electoral code of conduct. They are intimidating us all the time,” he added.
Ruma Khatun, BNP-backed councillor candidate in reserved seat of Ward 9, said, “I submitted several complaints to the Election [Commission] office and the police. But neither the election officials nor the local police took any measure. I didn't get any co-operation from them.”
Anisur Rahman Biswas, another independent councillor candidate from ward 13, said his election agents refused to attend a training on election duties after being intimidated by AL supporters.
BNP-nominated mayoral candidate Nazrul Islam Monju alleged that despite repeated complaints to the Election Commission, they are doing nothing to ensure a level-playing field in the election.
AL mayoral candidate Talukder Abdul Khaleque said BNP's allegation is only aimed at raising questions on the credibility of the election.
He urged the EC to be cautious while paying heed to BNP's allegations.
The CEC later assured the councillor and mayoral aspirants that the presence of necessary number of law enforcement agencies will be ensured at polling centres for a peaceful and fair election.
He said 60 magistrates and 10 executive magistrates will be deployed on the election day.
Besides, 22 to 24 members of law enforcement agencies will be deployed at each polling station.
Thirty-two teams of the Rapid Action Battalion and 16 platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh will also be deployed.
In the past, candidates who did not have the prospect to win in elections used to raise allegations regularly, he said.
But those allegations later proved to be false, the CEC added.
Meanwhile, Khaleque and Monju yesterday vowed to take initiatives to eradicate corruption from Khulna city so the residents of the city can avail civic services without hassle.
They also pledged to follow the electoral code and not to influence the electoral process by patronising criminals.
They also vowed to accept the election results regardless of the outcome.
The two mayoral aspirants made the pledge before prospective voters of the city at a programme organised by Democracy International.