bdnews24.com :
Election Commissioner Mahbub Talukdar has been tasked with looking into the allegations of irregularities in recently held Gazipur City Corporation elections.
He says, the move aims to make the upcoming elections to Sylhet, Rajshahi and Barishal cities free and fair.
“The CEC has given me the task. We are checking issues reported by a section of media such as why the turnout was less than 20 percent in some centres and over 80 percent in some others,” Mahbub told reporters at the Commission on Tuesday.
The average turnout in Gazipur was 58 percent, according the EC.
The BNP had claimed widespread rigging led to the defeat of its mayor candidate in Gazipur, an allegation denied by the ruling Awami League, whose candidate won the election.
The commission postponed polling in nine centres over incidents like snatching of ballot boxes and stuffing of ballot papers by force. It said there was no irregularity in the 416 other centres.
The EC had earned plaudits over elections to Cumilla and Rangpur city corporations, won by the BNP and Jatiya Party candidates, respectively.
After the recent election to Khulna City Corporation, the election observers said there were irregularities, but not so much that could tilt the results of the race for mayor post.
They had warned that recurrence of such irregularities in Gazipur would cause voters’ distrust in the EC, which will impact the national elections by the end of this year.
The margin of irregularities increased in Gazipur in comparison with the recent civic elections, according to the observers.
With these observations in the backdrop, CEC KM Nurul Huda has tasked Mahbub, a BNP choice for the commission, with checking the allegations.
Mahbub, a writer and former bureaucrat, said they have given Rakibuddin Mandal, the returning officer in the Gazipur polls, 10 days to submit an account of what happened there.
“We will work on this,” he said.
“We will surely be careful so that the errors or irregularities of Khulna and Gazipur elections don’t recur in the upcoming polls to the three cities,” the election commissioner said.
“I hope the three civic elections will be free, fair and acceptable to all,” he added.
“We will never breach the oath, the Constitution. Fulfilling the oath means our honour is saved.”
The five-member EC always takes decision on majority. Mahbub had made headlines after issuing a ‘note of dissent’ on the EC’s decision to change laws to give the MPs the opportunity to campaign for party candidates in city elections.
On Tuesday, he said he “will not have to give any note of dissent in the future if the election management proceeds fairly”.
“But if not, I will give as many notes of dissent as needed,” he remarked.
Election Commissioner Mahbub Talukdar has been tasked with looking into the allegations of irregularities in recently held Gazipur City Corporation elections.
He says, the move aims to make the upcoming elections to Sylhet, Rajshahi and Barishal cities free and fair.
“The CEC has given me the task. We are checking issues reported by a section of media such as why the turnout was less than 20 percent in some centres and over 80 percent in some others,” Mahbub told reporters at the Commission on Tuesday.
The average turnout in Gazipur was 58 percent, according the EC.
The BNP had claimed widespread rigging led to the defeat of its mayor candidate in Gazipur, an allegation denied by the ruling Awami League, whose candidate won the election.
The commission postponed polling in nine centres over incidents like snatching of ballot boxes and stuffing of ballot papers by force. It said there was no irregularity in the 416 other centres.
The EC had earned plaudits over elections to Cumilla and Rangpur city corporations, won by the BNP and Jatiya Party candidates, respectively.
After the recent election to Khulna City Corporation, the election observers said there were irregularities, but not so much that could tilt the results of the race for mayor post.
They had warned that recurrence of such irregularities in Gazipur would cause voters’ distrust in the EC, which will impact the national elections by the end of this year.
The margin of irregularities increased in Gazipur in comparison with the recent civic elections, according to the observers.
With these observations in the backdrop, CEC KM Nurul Huda has tasked Mahbub, a BNP choice for the commission, with checking the allegations.
Mahbub, a writer and former bureaucrat, said they have given Rakibuddin Mandal, the returning officer in the Gazipur polls, 10 days to submit an account of what happened there.
“We will work on this,” he said.
“We will surely be careful so that the errors or irregularities of Khulna and Gazipur elections don’t recur in the upcoming polls to the three cities,” the election commissioner said.
“I hope the three civic elections will be free, fair and acceptable to all,” he added.
“We will never breach the oath, the Constitution. Fulfilling the oath means our honour is saved.”
The five-member EC always takes decision on majority. Mahbub had made headlines after issuing a ‘note of dissent’ on the EC’s decision to change laws to give the MPs the opportunity to campaign for party candidates in city elections.
On Tuesday, he said he “will not have to give any note of dissent in the future if the election management proceeds fairly”.
“But if not, I will give as many notes of dissent as needed,” he remarked.
