Leaders of Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh (BDB) and Workers' Party of Bangladesh yesterday urged the government to announce specific date for the general elections and start dialogue with the political parties immediately.
The date for election should be announced immediately to dispel confusion about holding of the election in time, said the leaders at a joint press briefing at KC Memorial Clinic at Baridhara in the city after a two-hour meeting.
Workers Party leaders Rashed Khan Menon, Bimal Biswas, Haider Akbar Khan Rono, Anisur Rahman, Nurul Hasan and Kamrul Hasan and BDB leaders Maj (retd) Abdul Mannan, Maj Gen (retd) MA Halim, Arshad-uz-Zaman and Mahi B Chowdhury were present at the meeting.
Menon, president of the Workers Party, called on the Election Commission (EC) to bring reforms to the electoral laws with a view to holding a free and free election.
Maj (retd) Abdul Mannan, secretary general of BDB, called on the EC to completely prepare the voter list as early as possible and announce the date for election.
He also stressed the need for dialogue between the government and the political parties on the present situation of the country.
Both the leaders urged the EC to take necessary steps to bar war criminals, black money holders and corrupt people from standing in the election.