Record Tk 1,600cr to be needed for national polls
The Election Commission estimates that around Tk 1,600 crore will be needed to hold the general election, which would makeit the most expensive polls in Bangladesh.
EC sources said around Tk 1,000 crore would be election management expenditure while Tk 600 will be spent on law enforcement agencies during the polls.
The dramatic increase in costs has been attributed to the sharp rise in fuel prices and other necessary materials.
EC Additional Secretary Ashok Kumar Debnath yesterday said during a routine meeting with EC officials, law enforcers discussed the possible budget, placed their demands, and mentioned how many members would be deployed.
Earlier, police, Ansar, BGB and Coast Guard demanded around Tk 1,070 crore for discharging election duties.
However, the law enforcers would be paid according to the rate approved by the finance ministry.
A total of 7.47 lakh members of various law enforcement agencies and other forces -- 5.16 lakh Ansar members, 1.82 lakh police and Rab officers, 2,355 Coast Guard and 47,000 BGB personnel -- would be deployed, said Ashok.
He said it was yet to be decided how long the forces would be on election duty.
The EC had estimated a cost of Tk 700 crore for the 11th national polls. It eventually spent around Tk 1,000 crore.
It needed Tk 265 crore for the 10th parliamentary polls, when 153 MPs were elected unopposed, officials said.
The EC spent Tk 165 crore for the ninth general polls, Tk 95 crore in the eighth, Tk 71 crore in the seventh, Tk 25.56 crore in the fifth, Tk 5.16 crore in the fourth, Tk 5.25 crore in the third, Tk 5.60 crore in the second and Tk 81.86 lakh in the first general polls in 1973.
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