All political parties invited by the President for talks, except three, have decided to submit lists of names to the search committee to select the next chief election commissioner (CEC) and other commissioners, according to party sources.  Leaders of major political parties said they are planning to submit names of former chief justices, former secretaries, educationists, local government experts and renowned female personalities with experience and clean image. Leaders of these parties told The Independent that they will submit names within the stipulated time. Leaders of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Rab), Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) and the Gono Forum said they would not submit any list to the search committee as the process of forming the EC is not legal. On Saturday, the newly-formed search committee urged the 31 registered political parties, which had taken part in the talks with the President, to submit names of five prospective election commissioners of their choice. The panel requested the parties to submit the names to the Cabinet Division’s additional secretary, who is carrying out the secretarial job of the search committee, by 11am on January 31.  Political parties that are part of the Awami League led 14-party alliance and the BNP-led 14-party alliance will submit the names by 11:00am today.
 The BNP-led 20-Party Alliance, at a meeting yesterday (Monday), decided to submit names for the next EC keeping one name for the CEC. The meeting, held at the BNP’s central office at Naya Paltan, also suggested that the six registered parties in the alliance also submit same names for the commissioners, meeting sources said.  On Sunday night, the BNP standing committee decided to submit names for the new EC, but the party should submit the names today separately.
 Awami League (AL) sources said the party would submit names for the EC by responding to the request of the search committee. The party held its central working committee meeting to decide the names.
 When contacted, AL joint general secretary Abdur Rahman confirmed that the party would provide names for the next EC.
 Rezaur Rashid Khan, convenor of the Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal (BaSaD), said as a partner of the AL-led Grand Alliance, it will submit the same list of names to the search committee.
 Abdul Malek Ratan, secretary general of the JSD, said they would not submit names as they believe that forming of an EC alone cannot ensure the holding of a free and fair poll. The party emphasised the need for an election-time neutral administration.  The Jatiya Party secretary general, Ruhul Amin Howlader, said they would submit names.  Workers’ Party president Rashed Khan Menon termed the search committee initiative as a positive one, saying it would help choose the right persons for the EC.  Islami Oikya Jote chairman Abdul Latif Nezami said they would give names to the search committee and expects that it would be able to form a neutral EC.  Torikat Federation chairman Nazibul Bashar Maizvandary said the search committee should pick the right persons for the EC from the names given by the political parties. Otherwise, questions might arise about the initiative, he noted.  Jatiya Party (JP) chairman Anwar Hossain Majnu also described the search committee move to receive names for the EC as a positive one.  The chairman of the Bangladesher Jatiya Party (BJP), barrister Andalib Rahman Partha, said they would provide names for the EC, though they have reservations about some members of the search committee.  Gano Front chairman Md Zakir Hossain said they would propose the names of former chief justice Fazlul Karim, former Bangladesh Bank governor Khorshed Alam, former government secretary Faruq Ahmed Siddique, former ambassador Maj Gen (Retd0 Jamil and former NRB member Rahela Chowdhury.