Top cops for sending ballots day before polls
Top officials of the law enforcement agencies are in favour of sending ballot papers to the polling stations the day before national elections.
In a meeting with the Election Commission yesterday, the officials pointed out that it would be difficult for them to send ballots in the morning of the voting day due to a lack of manpower.
The officials made the remarks in response to recent statements by two election commissioners that they were mulling over sending ballots on voting day, barring polling centres in remote areas.
Three officials who attended yesterday's meeting said more than one law enforcer said it would be a challenging task for them to send ballots on polling day as additional law enforcers will be needed for this.
Usually, police are deployed at the polling stations the day before the voting.
An EC commissioner told the law enforcement officials that they have sent ballots in the morning of the polling day in several parliamentary by-polls and local government elections.
Briefing reporters after the meeting, EC Secretary Jahangir Alam said they were yet to make any final decision on sending ballots to the polling centres.
"There is still adequate time before the election. There will be more meetings. The decision will be made based on the law and order situation at that time," he added.
Jahangir said the law enforcement officials informed the EC that there were no big obstacles to arranging the 12th Jatiya Sangsad election and that they remain alert so that law and order does not deteriorate during the BNP's political programmes.
He said the current law and order situation is "conducive" to announcing the polls schedule.
The secretary of the Public Security Division of the home ministry, a representative of the Armed Forces Division, and the chiefs of the police, Rab, BGB, Ansar, Coast Guard, DGFI, NSI, and police's Special Branch were present at the meeting organised as part of the election preparations.
Earlier, several district deputy commissioners and superintendents of police in EC training sessions said if the ballots were sent on the polling day, there would be a shortage of staffers.
Until the last general election in 2018, ballots were sent the day before the voting. The matter became contentious after that election, with opposition political parties alleging that stuffing of ballot boxes took place the night before the voting day.
The Jatiya Oikyafront in January 2019 had told the EC that between 30 and 60 percent of the ballots were stamped the night before the voting.
On January 15, 2019, Transparency International Bangladesh in a study titled "Review of Election Process of 11th National Election" found that stamping of ballots took place in the night before election day in more than one centre in 33 constituencies out of 50 surveyed.
Speaking to The Daily Star, EC officials said there would be no logistical problems for them and law enforcers in sending ballots on the voting day.
They said election officials can use Border Guard Bangladesh and Rab to send ballots on the polling day. These forces would be divided in two or three groups and they would be able to reach the polling centres before the voting opens.
According to EC officials, the election officials can create a cluster of polling centres for each union. The officials would send the ballot papers in the morning and the winter fog would not be an issue.
Former election commissioner Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain said ahead of the 2014 and 2018 parliamentary polls, he had suggested sending ballots on polling day.
"Vehicles can now reach all polling centres. So, sending ballots in the morning will not be a problem for the election officials.
"If the ballots are sent to the polling stations on voting day, it will help the EC avoid any controversy over stamping of ballots the night before the election day," he told The Daily Star.
Meanwhile, the EC will hold another meeting tomorrow with high officials, including those from Bangladesh Bank and different ministries and divisions.
The commission is also likely to meet Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan tomorrow, said Supreme Court sources.
The EC may call on President Mohammed Shahabuddin on November 5, according to a source at the Bangabhaban.
EC Secretary Jahangir said the commission, as per custom, has sought time from the president and the chief justice for the meetings ahead of the announcement of the polls schedule.
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