Staff Reporter :
Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) KM Nurul Huda said that the Commission would not tolerate any kind of unfairmeans in the Gazipur City Corporation (GCC) polls and if anyone regardless of identity tries to rig the voting and election result, proper steps, including cancellation of result, would be taken. We won’t indulge irregularities in the polls.
The CEC said this while talking to reporters after a meeting with the officials about maintaining law and order situation during the upcoming polls. The meeting was held at the Gazipur district administration auditorium on Wednesday.
“Though 84 days have elapsed since the announcement of election schedule, the law and order situation has remained normal in Gazipur. So, the voting will be free and fair”, he affirmed.
Gazipur City Corporation polls will be held on June 26 while election campaign started from June 18.
Gazipur City Polls Returning Officer Md Rakib Uddin, Deputy Commissioner Dr Dewan Mohammad Humayun Kabir, Superintendent of Police Md Harun-ur-Rashid and Gazipur District Election Officer Md Tarifuzzaman attended the meeting.
“We have discussed the role of the RAB, the police and the district administrations in this regard. We hope the election will be acceptable and credible one and voters will be able to elect the candidates of their choice,” Huda said.
Replying to a query on rigging with reference to the concluded Khulna City polls, the CEC rejected the allegation saying that the Khulna City polls was fair.
“Some perpetrators got the chance to rig votes in four to five polling centres, but the other centres were free from such incidents,” he claimed.
On the electoral atmosphere in Gazipur, Nurul Huda said, so far no such things have occurred that could put question mark on the election and deter it. About BNP’s allegation of violating the electoral code, the CEC said, the party (BNP) has to be specific on the issue.
“They have to pinpoint where the violation has taken place. If they do so, I can ask the magistrate and police to take actions,” he said.
The CEC reiterated that there will be no deployment of the army. Electronic Voting Machines (EVM) will be used at six voting centers only.
Election Commissioners Mahbub Talukder, Rafiqul Islam, Kabita Khanam, Brigadier General (retd) Shahdat Hossain Chowdhury and EC Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed, among others, also attended the meeting.
