JP for army on ground, WP against

The Jatiya Party, a key component of the Awami League-led ruling alliance, yesterday asked the Election Commission (EC) to make necessary electoral reforms to legally ensure deployment of army in both local and parliamentary elections at all times.
“People have confidence in army. Elections will be free and fair if army is deployed. So, deployment of army in all elections should be made mandatory in law,” JP Ruhul Secretary General Amin Hawlader said during his party's talks with the EC.
The Workers' Party, another ruling alliance component, opposed army deployment.
“We saw the impact of army deployment in maintaining law and order during the 2001 parliamentary polls," said party chief Rashed Khan Menon. "So the defence forces should not be legally made part of the law enforcement agencies."
Menon demanded that the EC cancels the registration of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and declares people charged with war crimes disqualified for running the elections.
Election Commissioner Abdul Mobarak said it could not be done hurriedly as it required a legal process.
Meanwhile, JP Presidium Member Mujibul Haque opposed the electoral provision that an individual must be a member of a political party for at least three years to contest the parliamentary polls from that party.
Joining the talks at the EC secretariat, chief of a faction of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal, ASM Abdul Rab, proposed to reduce the number of constituencies in the capital from existing 15 to 10.
Meanwhile, the ruling AL will not sit with the EC today due to parliamentary session and asked the commission to fix a new date.