EC unaware of upazila elections in May

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) ATM Shamsul Huda yesterday said he does not know anything about the plans for upazila elections in May as announced only a day before by the LGRD adviser.
"I know nothing about it. You better ask the one who's made the announcement," an apparently irritated Huda told reporters after a meeting of the Election Commission (EC).
Earlier on Wednesday, LGRD Adviser Anwarul Iqbal said the government has plans for elections to 100 upazila parishads in May, reported different national dailies and private television channels.
Contacted by The Daily Star yesterday, he however claimed he did not mention any specific timeframe. "I said polls to city corporations and seven municipalities would be held between April and May while upazila elections within December," Iqbal said maintaining, "I was misquoted in the media."
Asked for comments about the EC's knowing nothing of upazila elections, the adviser said the government still has jurisdiction to speak about upazila polls.
"The authority to set polls schedule would begin to lie with the commission only after the existing upazila parishad act is amended," he observed.
About the caretaker government's decision in favour of the EC regaining the power to announce schedules for upazila elections, he said the advisory council has decided so in principle, but has yet to finalise it.
Meeting the EC on Monday, Iqbal suggested that the commission start holding upazila elections between April and May, but the EC said it would stick to its electoral roadmap.
Coming out of the meeting, the adviser in charge of matters relating to the local government bodies, told reporters that the timetable for the upazila elections would be set by the EC.
According to the roadmap announced on July 15 last year, upazila elections should be held between November and December.
But the LGRD adviser's sudden announcement Wednesday has annoyed the EC, now busy preparing for polls to four city corporations and seven municipalities, as well as finalising the draft of electoral reform proposals, said sources at the EC Secretariat.
It reminded many EC Secretariat officials of the way things used to be before upazila elections during the previous governments.
Asked about the LGRD adviser's announcement, Election Commissioner Muhammed Sohul Hussain said, "Let them hold the elections."
Another commissioner, Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hussain, said first the government should send a formal proposal for upazila elections, and then the EC will decide what would be the next course of action.
At yesterday's meeting, the EC did not discuss the adviser's announcement. Instead, for over two hours they reviewed different political parties' opinions on electoral reforms, sources said.
Requesting not to be named, an election commissioner said the commission is not ready to hold upazila elections in May. "If the government puts pressure on us, we'd have to say sorry."
A senior official of the EC Secretariat told The Daily Star, "We don't have any plan for upazila elections in May. We are strictly following the electoral roadmap. We don't know why the adviser came up with such an announcement."
Another senior official seeking anonymity said the government's move to hold local government elections might invite trouble if it is challenged at the High Court.
"A caretaker government does not have the jurisdiction to initiate steps to hold polls to local government bodies," the official said referring to the constitution.
Article 58D (2) of the constitution says the non-party caretaker government shall give the EC all possible aid and assistance required for holding the general election.
During the dialogue with the EC, major political parties strongly opposed local government polls before the ninth parliamentary election, saying that it would hamper the preparations for the general election by the year-end.
CEC Huda however assured them that elections to four city corporations and seven municipalities would cause no obstacle to parliamentary elections by December.