City corporation polls

CAMPAIGNS for mayoral election under the four city corporations are going on in full swing. Competing candidates from rival political camps have been highlighting the areas of local development each will address, if elected. Overall, the entire activity is being conducted with energy and enthusiasm. This is all very commendable.

But what is not-so-commendable are the reports of flouting electoral codes by the mayoral hopefuls in all the four city corporations.

Candidates are learnt to have been erecting arches, displaying costly multi-coloured posters and billboards with blown-up photographs of party leaders ignoring warnings from returning officers.

Can the Election Commission afford to appear helpless before such acts of electoral misconduct?

In Rajshahi, for example, the EC has sought explanation from the pro-AL mayoral candidate who used four-colour posters of national leaders in the campaign.

In a similar act of violation, another candidate has erected colourful billboards advertising his achievements in his previous tenure as city mayor.

The assistant returning officer at Barisal has asked magistrates of mobile courts to take action against such infractions.

Similar acts of violation have taken place in Khulna as well as Sylhet.

Not surprisingly, candidates have reportedly been levelling allegations of electoral code violation against one another.

We expect that any violation of the electoral rules is shown zero-tolerance by the EC. The government needs to cooperate with the EC to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections in all the city corporations.