Even a day after the Awami League’s (AL’s) Narayanganj lawmaker Shamim Osman allegedly violated the electoral code of conduct by holding a press conference to seek votes for AL mayoral candidate Selina Hayat Ivy, the Election Commission (EC) did not know the details of the incident.
“I have just heard about the matter. We will seek a report and look into it. Anyway, the returning officer for Narayanganj City Corporation polls will know about such incidents before we do. Besides, 27 magistrates have been deployed there. They might have already taken some action. We will also enquire about it,” chief election commissioner (CEC) Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad said yesterday.
The CEC was addressing journalists after coming out from a meeting with top officials of the home ministry and law enforcement and intelligence agencies to discuss the law and order situation ahead of the elections to the Narayanganj City Corporation (NCC) and district council polls across the country.
The EC chief said, “The electoral code of conduct clearly states who is barred from the election and who is allowed. If it does not include lawmakers, he (Selim Osman) has no right to seek votes for a candidate.”
Osman held a press conference yesterday at the Nasim Osman Memorial Park in Naryanganj where he said that party activists, as well as his supporters, would go door to door, seeking votes for Ivy. But according to the electoral code of conduct, an incumbent lawmaker cannot seek votes for any candidate in the election area.
“We have warned lawmakers, issued notices or filed cases against them in the past for violating the electoral code of conduct. No one will be spared. No one is above the law. We request everyone to abide by the electoral code and cooperate with us to hold a fair election,” the CEC said.
In reply to the question of Army deployment in the NCC polls, Kazi Rakibuddin said, “There has been no necessity to deploy the Army till now. The situation is quite normal. Besides, we will oversee the situation minutely and no troublemaker will be spared.”
Asked what steps would be taken before election day to prevent false ballots, he said, “We have issued clear instructions that no kind of trouble would be tolerated at the polling centres. The number of policemen will be increased. Besides, there will be policemen on patrol to take immediate steps. Whatever the number of the miscreants, no one will be allowed to enter the polling centres.”
About the decision taken at the meeting, the CEC said that the police have assured them that the law-and-order situation is better now, and they hope that it would improve during the NCC and district council polls.
“We have instructed the police to take action against terrorists, miscreants, and all troublemakers, and to recover illegal arms. They have assured us that they have started doing these since the polls were announced and it would continue. We have told them to do it more overtly,” he said.
“We have already deployed 27 executive magistrates in the NCC polls to maintain law and order, and they are informing the commission about the matter,” he said.
About the district council polls, he said, “These are small-scale polls. There is a limited number of voters. But this election is new to us. It will be held for the first time.
We have instructed everyone to hold the polls carefully. They will take steps according to the local law and order situation and inform us. If necessary, additional steps will be taken following our instructions.”