Noman Mosharef :
The Election Commission has set budget for the upcoming 11th Parliamentary Elections. Allocation has been increased about three times high compared with the last national polls. The highest expenditure has been set for the law and order sector, EC sources said.
They said that in the 10th parliamentary polls held on January 5, 2014, the total allocation was Tk 268 crore. But for the coming national polls, the amount has been set at Tk 732 crore. At the same time, the sectors of expenditure have also been increased. In the last parliament, the sectors of expenditure were 29, while they have been raised to 49 for next JS polls.
EC officials said that considering the time, the real situation and the cost of living, the expenditure and the sector allocations are to be determined. Many parties, including BNP, did not participate in the last parliamentary elections. However, the EC has set the allocation thinking that the 11th parliamentary polls will be a competitive with participation of all political parties.
And the commission considered the sectors of expenditure considering this prediction.
As a result, the number of law enforcers will increase. The cost of preparations for the election will increase as well. The expenditure of all sectors for the polls is being finalized for the approval of the commission. The commission will start release of pre-schedule rime fund after the approval.
The officvials said that most of the allocations are spent on mainly for two sectors — one is election-conducting sector and another is law enforcement sector. The commission has to spend three times more in security purposes than in election conducting grounds.
Among the allocation for the law and order, Ansar members have demanded alone more than Tk 58 crore while the police are looking for the highest allocation, said the officials.
EC sources said that the allocation for the security purpose sector in the 5th parliament was Tk 17 crore, in the 6th parliament Tk 29 crore, in the 7th parliament Tk 18 crore, in the 8th parliament Tk 42 crore, in the 9th parliament Tk 98 crore and in the 10th parliament Tk 183 crore.
The sources further said that more than Tk 400 crore would be spent only to ensuring security of the 11th parliamentary election. This time sectors of election expenditure have been increased suddenly. Even some sectors have been created by broking one sector.
Some of the major sectors include voting centres, making booths, repairing of the centres, ballot paper marking place in the voting room, construction of secret rooms, construction of temporary polling centres, private building rental expenses, extra polling cost, polling station materials such as white paper, carbon paper, ball point pen, candle, super glue, various forms-packets and manuals, mailing of the returning officer, special messenger-printing-appellation, pre-election irregularities or complaints.
The investigation committee formed for the settlement of the complaint needs to be included in the cost of operating expenses, including the cost of operation, mobile law enforcement and law enforcement.
Executive-Judicial magistrates to be deployed with the Striking Force, clear transparent ballot box, expenditure on expenses in the exchange view programme of commissions with various officials, political parties and local dignitaries for the purpose of free and fair elections. It is to be mentioned that counting of the day of the 11th parliamentary election begin from October 30. There is a constitutional obligation to hold the next JS polls by January 28 of next year.
