Can we ever have a spotless election?

It was only yesterday that we congratulated the Election Commission for holding a fair and peaceful election in Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC)—a parting gift from a soon-to-retire commission otherwise bedevilled by controversies. However, it took all of 24 hours for this moment to be spoiled. According to a report by this daily, while mayor-elect Selina Hayat Ivy got a well-deserved win on Sunday, there were at least 13 councillors who contested and won the election despite having multiple cases filed against them, on charges ranging from murder and drugs to arms and explosives. Of them, eight were affiliated with the BNP and five with the Awami League. 

True, many of these cases may have been politically motivated, but it doesn't take away from the fact that the Election Commission has failed to do its job of candidate screening properly. "Data related to these cases are an essential part of the candidates' personal information," as an expert told The Daily Star, "and it's the duty of the commission to inform the voters about this." The commission didn't even upload the candidates' basic information on its website, he added. What this essentially means is that it failed to uphold people's right to information, and thereby opened up the possibility for misinformed decisions. The question is: Why did the Election Commission allow it to happen?

This is especially unfortunate, because it may partly damage the credibility of an election the likes of which we haven't seen in a long time. Just imagine: no clashes were reported for about 18 days in the run-up to the polling day. There was no show of muscle power. Voters exercised their right without fear or intimidation. Even the two mayoral candidates exchanged pleasantries after the results were announced. When did we last see a peaceful campaign like this in the country? Now contrast this with the record of the last city corporation election held in January 2021, in Chattogram, where at least two people ended up dead. The whole campaign was marked by clashes. Even the five phases of the ongoing union parishad elections have been marked by heavy clashes and casualties. Unfortunately, such incidents as well as allegations of various electoral irregularities have been the hallmarks of the tenure of the current Election Commission, which expires in February. 

But the NCC campaign gave us hope that while we cannot change the past, the future doesn't have to be weighed down by it. The legal ramification of the latest revelation about NCC councillor candidates is unclear. But it leaves a message for the upcoming Election Commission that you can't be too careful while conducting an election in a political climate like ours. We urge the authorities to look into the merit of these allegations, and take measures accordingly.