Mayoral candidates want troops deployment.
Most of the mayoral candidates, except the ruling party backed one, in the Dhaka North City Corporation election on Sunday asked the Election Commission to deploy military to create a congenial atmosphere for a fair civic polls making it free from all sorts of undue influences. Addressing an Election Commission-sponsored views-exchange meeting, several mayoral hopefuls and many councillor candidates alleged that law enforcers were harassing and intimidating candidates and election campaigners and asked the commission to mitigate the problems to pave the way for a congenial atmosphere for electioneering. In response, the chief election commissioner, Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad, hinted that the commission was unwilling to deploy troops during the election. He, however, instructed the law enforcers not to harass any candidates or their campaigners ‘unnecessarily’. ‘Let us practise tolerance and accept dissent voices and build up a culture of peaceful polling to pave the way for creating a situation where there will be no need of army deployment in the elections and even magistrates will not be required to oversee the electoral code of conduct,’ said Kazi Rakib.
The CEC claimed the commission took necessary measures to contain violations of electoral code of conduct. ‘Please do not break the law. Please do not make yourself vulnerable by taking the law in your hands.’ He called on all the government officials engaged in holding the election to discharge their duties neutrally and without any fear and favour. ‘My instructions to the law enforcers are to create environment so that the voters can go to the polling stations peacefully and without any fear and can vote the candidates of their choices. You [police] should be careful so that none fall victim of unnecessary harassment and keep vigilance so that candidates can carry out their electioneering smoothly,’ said Kazi Rakib. The CEC called on law enforcers to guard the polling stations strictly so that no untoward incidents take place during the polls. Speaking on the occasion, election commissioner Abdul Mobarak asked why troops should be deployed during the election if everyone behaves well and becomes respectful to the law. ‘Many of our workers and leaders are either still behind the bars or in hiding.
I am requesting the commission to intervene to ensure bail for them,’ Bangladesh Nationalist Party-backed mayoral candidate Tabith Awal called on the CEC. ‘It has been alarming that neither the commission nor the police administration have taken initiative to recover illegal arms and to ask legal arms holder to submit their arms before the polls,’ said Tabith Awal. Ruling Awami League-backed mayoral aspirant Annisul Huq extended his support to all the demands raised in the meeting by the mayoral candidates as Annisul spoke last. ‘I support all of the demands as they carry values. Let the best person be elected.’ Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh candidate Mahi B Chowdhury at the meeting demanded measures to check use of money in the elections and later, talking to newsmen, seconded Tabith’s demand for army deployment when Tabith said he wanted army deployment as a congenial atmosphere was yet to be created for a fair polls.
Ganasanghati Andolan’s chief coordinator Zonayed Saki said the commission was taking no measures against violation of electoral code of conduct and asked it to ensure a level-playing field for all candidates. He urged the commission to stop use of money and muscle power in the electioneering. Islami Andolan Bangladesh backed mayoral aspirant Sheikh Fazle Bari Maswood and another mayoal candidate Kazi Md Shahidullah also demanded army deployment ahead of the polls. Most of the councillor candidates who spoke on the occasion urged the commission to take immediate measures to stop harassment of them and their campaigners and use of money and muscle power.
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