DHAKA CITY POLLS MPs not allowed to campaign: EC

Chief election commissioner KM Nurul Huda on Saturday said that members of parliament cannot participate in electioneering for local government polls or act as coordinator for a party’s election activities while Awami League leader Tofail Ahmed that said the coordinators, who are MPs, can do everything but seeking votes.

KM Nurul Huda said the Election Commission will ask ruling Awami League leaders Amir Hossain Amu and Tofail Ahmed not to act as coordinators of their party’s election activities in Dhaka north and south city polls if anyone officially lodges complaint over it.

‘Members of parliament will not be allowed to participate in electioneering for Dhaka north and south city polls and the MPs are also not eligible to act as coordinator for a party in the local government election activities,’ Nurul Huda told reporters emerging from a meeting with a delegation of Awami League at Nirbachan Bhaban in Dhaka.

Replying to a question, the Nurul Huda said that he was not officially aware of the appointment of Awami League advisory council members and lawmakers Amir Haossian Amu and Tofail Ahmed as coordinator of the party’s activities in the Dhaka city polls. ‘If we are informed of it formally, we will ask them not to act so,’ he added.

He said that the people whom the law bars to conduct electioneering will not be allowed to talk for any candidate. But there was no bar to their participation in political activities like Mujib Year, he added.

Election commissioners Mahbub Talukdar, M Rafiqul Islam, Kabita Khanam and Shahadat Hossain Chowdhury and its additional secretary Mokhlesur Rahman, returning officers Abdul Baten and Abul Kashem were on the commission’s team in the meeting with the AL delegation.

Tofail Ahmed led the AL delegation while its presidium member Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, joint secretary general Mahbubul Alam Hanif, and organising secretary Mirza Azam were on the team.

Tofail told reporters that there was no bar for coordinators to work at the planning stage form office but they will not be allowed in electioneering.

He said that they came to the commission to get an explanation of electoral laws over participation of MPs in campaign.

He said that the coordinators are allowed to do everything but seeking votes. ‘They are allowed to give instructions to party activist,’ he said.

He said all the commissioners and officials but election commissioner Mahbub Talukdar agreed with their notion.

Besides, addressing a rally in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka, Bangladesh Nationalist Party secretary general Mirza Fakrul Islam Alamagir invited the AL leaders to join in campaign after resigning form their pots of minister and MPs.

‘Let us face the challenge. Create level playing field,’ he added.

Candidates for mayor, councillor and reserved seat councillor for women continued their electioneering for the second day on Saturday.

Elections to Dhaka north and south city are scheduled to be held on January 30.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net