Delay due to ministry

The Election Commission yesterday blamed the LGRD Ministry again for delaying the elections to Dhaka City Corporations, saying the ministry did not complete boundary demarcation which is a must for holding the long delayed polls.

"We have repeatedly sent letters to the ministry asking it to complete the demarcation. But the ministry kept saying it was working on it," Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad told reporters at the EC's media centre.

His statement came a day after the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced that the long overdue elections to the bifurcated DCC would take place early next year.

"We want to hold the election in the shortest possible time because the issue has been pending for a long time. The major obstacle will be removed if demarcation is completed," the CEC added.

If there is a pressure now from the government high-ups, the demarcation might be completed immediately, he said, adding "After delimitation is done, we will announce polls schedule keeping sufficient time in our hand."

 Asked if it was possible to hold the DCC elections in next January, the CEC replied, "Why should we hold elections by January? Time must be given to us ... we will have to avoid public examination period [SSC exams begin in January]."

Meanwhile, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir yesterday said the government is talking about holding DCC polls with an intention to thwart BNP's anti-government movement next year.

"The government did not hold DCC elections for long. It wants to divert people's attention from opposition's upcoming movement in the name of DCC polls," he told reporters at a city hospital.

Awami League insiders said the announcement of holding DCC elections would gear up party activities in the capital and party leaders interested in taking part in the polls will stage showdown in a bid to get party support. And this would help neutralise BNP-led 20-party alliances' possible anti-government movement in the capital.

Senior AL leaders think that with the announcement of DCC election schedules, most of the top leaders of the BNP in the city would start taking preparations for the polls, distancing themselves from the movement preparations.

"If the Awami League can resist BNP's upcoming movement in Dhaka, district level movements will also go off automatically," said a senior minister, preferring anonymity.

AL Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif told The Daily Star that the AL would remain active in the streets as the party will be holding district councils in next couple of months. If anyone tries to destabilise the government, party men would resist them, he added.

The last election to the undivided DCC was held in April 2002 and its tenure expired on May 2007. On November 4, 2011, the government split the DCC into two and appointed two administrators to run them.

But the elections to the Dhaka north and south city corporations could not be held due to different complexities like court verdicts and boundary demarcation.