Zilla Parishad Elections: Polls rules violated by MP, mayor

A ruling Awami League lawmaker in Natore and the Chittagong city corporation mayor accompanied AL-nominated chairman and member candidates in the district council elections while they submitted their nomination papers yesterday.

As per electoral code of conduct, the Speaker, the opposition leader in parliament, ministers, MPs, city corporation mayors and other VIPs enjoying government facilities are not allowed to campaign or take part in any election activities.

Election Commission (EC) Secretary Muhammad Abdullah told The Daily Star that participation of lawmakers in electoral activities was a clear violation of the polling code. 

However, election officials in Natore while talking to The Daily Star tried to defend the matter and had said there were no restrictions on lawmakers on joining the activities of the district council polls scheduled for December 28.

Chittagong returning officer claimed that he had not gotten the copy of the electoral code of conduct as of yesterday evening.

About the Chittagong RO's remark, the EC secretary said copies of electoral code were sent before the announcement of the polls schedule on November 20. Besides, the code of conduct was available on the EC's website. 

Violating the rules, AL lawmaker of Natore-2 constituency Shafiqul Islam Shimul accompanied his party-nominated district council chairman and member candidates while they submitted their nomination papers around noon yesterday, the last day for filing the papers.

It was not the first time Shimul violated the electoral code. Shimul breached the rules in similar fashion by accompanying party-nominated mayor hopeful Uma Chowdhury when she went to file her documents for the Natore Sadar municipality polls on December 3 last year.

The Election Commission had then served a show-cause notice on him. In response, Shimul had apologised to the EC and pledged not to do it again.

Shimul yesterday accompanied AL nominated district council chairman candidate Sajedur Rahman and some member aspirants, Natore district election officer Abul Hossain told The Daily Star.

Shahina Khatun, deputy commission (DC) of Natore and also the RO of the district council polls, said the election officer told her that there was no restrictions against lawmakers' presence during submission of nomination papers.

When asked, election officer Abul Hossain sang the same tune, “There is no legal bar to lawmaker's presence during submission of nomination papers. According to the law, the prime minister, ministers, and the Speaker will not be allowed in any kind of election activities.”

However, Shimul claimed that his presence at the RO's office was just a coincidence.

“I went to the DC office to attend a meeting. In the meantime, the candidates entered the office to submit the nomination papers. As I am the AL general secretary of the district and was present in the room, I could not sit idle. It is my unintentional error,” Shimul told The Daily Star.

When asked about his rules violation in last year's municipality polls, he said, “I did not go there with the candidates. It was also a coincidence. And it is not clearly mentioned that the lawmakers cannot be there during nomination paper submission.”

Chairman aspirant Sajedur also claimed that the lawmaker did not go with him when he went to the DC office to submit his nomination papers, and that the MP was already there attending a meeting.

Chittagong City Corporation Mayor AJM Nasir Uddin accompanied AL-nominated chairman candidate MA Salam during submission of his nomination papers to the RO's office yesterday.

Salam, also the general secretary of Chittagong north district unit AL, submitted the papers to Deputy Commissioner of Chittagong Shamsul Arefin, also the RO of the election, at the latter's office.

Contacted, DC Shamsul said, “I have not got the code of conduct yet.”

Salam admitting that CCC Mayor Nasir went with him, he said he was not aware of the restrictions on mayor going with him. He said now that he knows about the rule, he would be more careful in future.

Mayor Nasir could not be reached over phone for his comments yesterday.

The first-ever district council elections will be held on December 28. The BNP and the Jatiya Party have already announced that they would not take part in the race.

Only the elected representatives of different local government bodies will vote to elect a chairman, 15 general members and five women members in reserved seats in each district council, according to the District Council (Amendment) Act, 2016.

The elected representatives of each district include chairmen and members of union parishads; chairmen and vice-chairmen of upazila parishads and mayors and councillors of municipalities and city corporations.

In Narayanganj, AL-nominated chairman candidate Anwar Hossain is believed to be elected unopposed as no other candidate is running against him, reports our correspondent there.

Our Munshiganj correspondent reports: at least 10 people were injured and some motorbikes were vandalised when district council member aspirant Golam Rasul Siraji was attacked in the town's Lichutala area by criminals yesterday. He was on his way to submit his nomination papers.