CCCI polls caught in disputes

The polls schedule of Chittagong Chamber of Commerce and Industry has been declared amid a dispute between the chairman and two members of the election board over complying with a court directive on removing irregularities in voter list.
Though the polls date has been fixed for February 14, Chairman of the election board Jamal Uddin Ahmed said he does not know anything about the schedule.
“The secretary of the election board set the date without my concern,” said Ahmed.
However, the two members said they have already complied with the court order and the decision on the polls date was taken at a meeting presided over by the chairman.
The chairman said he issued the secretary a letter on Tuesday asking him not to start any election proceedings before removing the irregularities in the voter list.
“I told the secretary that if the voter list is not corrected and other necessary steps are not taken according to the High Court order, we will have to face contempt of court charges,” Ahmed said.
“I asked him to postpone the polls proceedings.”
Mohammad Shamsul Hoque, one of the two members of the election board, said the secretary issued the election schedule as per the decision of a meeting of the board on January 19, when the chairman was present.
Several meetings took place in January when they discussed the HC directive and came to a conclusion that all the HC directives were complied with, he said.
"We have verified the voter list and then decided to declare the polls schedule at a meeting on January 19 and accordingly the secretary declared the date,” Hoque said.
Fauzul Mobin Khan, another member of the election board, also said they have started election proceedings after complying with the HC directive.
“The decision on the polls schedule was taken on the January 19 meeting and the chairman presided over that meeting,” he said.
“If the chairman keeps himself out of the polls proceedings, we the two members, as the majority of the board, can hold the election,” Khan said.
“I do not understand why he [the chairman] is saying he is not concerned about it as the decision on the polls schedule was taken at a meeting presided over by the chairman.”
Morshed Arif Chowdhury, a director of the chamber, said the HC has directed the chamber to comply with the TO (trade organisation) rule 1994, but the polls schedule has been declared without complying with this rule.
Ershad Ullah, a former senior vice-president of the chamber, said he has issued a legal notice to the secretary of the election board and called for postponing the polls proceedings before complying with the HC order.
“It is a clear violation of the HC order and we will file a contempt of court case if they do not stop the proceedings,” he said.
The CCCI election for 2013-2014 was originally scheduled for September 16, 2012 but a dispute arose among the general members over the correction of the voter list.
Failing to negotiate, the rival parties went to the court, which in an order on January 2 postponed the election and directed the chamber to bring necessary correction to the voter list within 90 days and then hold the election.