EC lags behind polls roadmap

The Election Commission (EC) could not yet complete preliminary work for redrawing the boundaries of parliamentary constituencies, raising doubts if it would be able to have it done by December, the stipulated timeframe.
According to its roadmap announced on August 5, a draft list on redrawing the areas of 300 constituencies was to be prepared by September 15, and the EC was supposed to approve it in the same month.
But it could not complete the tasks within September. The delay almost made it certain that the EC will not be able to publish the draft list by October, complying with the stipulated timeframe.
As per the roadmap, the EC is to invite objections to its proposals on redrawing the boundaries and dispose of them by November to finalise the task by December.
Election Commissioner Shah Nawaz Thursday said they might need one more month to publish the draft list as it was a huge and sensitive task.
When his attention was drawn to the timeframe given in the roadmap, he said the work has been delayed a little. “However, it will not have any impact on the overall timeframe and we will be able to complete the entire task by December,” he told The Daily Star.
Referring to talks with civil society personalities and senior journalists, Shah Nawaz said the EC would sit next week to proceed with its next course of action.
The EC took around a month to hold talks with the civil society personalities and journalists seeking their opinion on redrawing the boundaries. It sat with the civil society personalities on September 13 and with senior journalists on October 10. During the talks, the EC did not provide them any draft proposals for redrawing the boundaries.
On top of this, it is yet to decide when it will sit with the political parties seeking their views on it, although Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad on several occasions said the EC would do it.
Election Commissioner Shah Nawaz said the political parties could give their opinion after the draft list was published.
Officials of the EC secretariat said they had prepared a draft policy on redrawing the boundaries and submitted it to the EC long ago for approval.
“Now the commission will approve the policy which will determine whether the number of seats in the capital will be decreased and how the boundaries of other constituencies will be redrawn,” a senior EC official told The Daily Star wishing anonymity.
On finalisation of the policy, the official said they would soon start working on the preparation of the draft for redrawing the boundaries. "It is true we could not complete the necessary works within the stipulated timeframe, but we will start working in full swing once the policy is finalised," added the official.