report in Prothom Alo, July 5, 2018 at 21:52 hrs
Dhaka: Civil society platform Shushasoner Janno Nagorik (Shujan) has expressed its concern over irregularities in recently held Gazipur City Corporation polls. Photo: Prothom AloCivil society platform Civil society platform Shushasoner Janno Nagorik (Shujan) has expressed its concern over what it called faulty electioneering process in recently held Gazipur City Corporation polls.
Shujan also expressed apprehensions that the upcoming elections in 3 more city corporations would be conducted in a similar fashion if the election commission does not show willingness to correct the mistakes of the past.
The election commission’s failure to conduct free, fair and credible elections would invite new challenges for the country ahead of the all-important national elections scheduled to be held in December, said Shujan secretary Badiul Alam Majumdar.
Shujan, or the citizens for good governance, came up with its reactions to the Gazipur city polls, at a press conference at Dhaka Reporters Unity on Thursday.
Terming the Gazipur civic polls a ‘Khulna-styled election’, Shujan said the election was marred by gross violation of electoral rules, intimidation and driving out of the polling agents of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party candidates and arrest of the leaders and activists of the opposition party.
Explaining the term ‘Khulna-styled polls’, the Shujan chief said obstructing the BNP agents and activists from electioneering, arrest of some BNP leaders and activists, using muscle power on the voting day and inaction of the EC authorities are the proofs of a ‘new way’ of what is called ‘controlled election’.
While the total turnout in the GCC polls was 57.2 per cent, at least 61 centres saw 73-94 per cent turnout — a percentage which Shujan considered to be abnormally high.
Only 14-40 per cent votes were cast in some 40 polling stations — a rate which, is, however, abnormally low, according to Shujan’s analysis.
Shujan’s Badiul Alam said as in other elections in recent years, higher number of wealthy businessmen got elected in GCC polls “This shows that money has continued to play bigger role in politics,” he added.
Criticising the EC’s role in the GCC polls, the civil society leader warned that the EC would be reckoned as ‘toothless tiger’ in the eyes of the people, should its office bearers fail to carry out their duty properly.
The organisation’s president M Hafiz Uddin Khan said local government elections should be free from party affiliation.
Regretting the anomalies in the GCC polls, he said though there were fewer incidents of electoral violence, the people witnessed a new form of “controlled election” in Khulna and Gazipur.
Central member of Shujan Hamida Hossain urged the political parties to make the elections women-friendly as they could neither compete nor even cast their votes in the elections dominated by money, muscle and power.
Shujan’s central coordinator Dilip Kumar Sarker read out the organisation’s findings on the candidates in the GCC polls.
The Shujan authorities made some recommendations to make the electioneering process free and fair.http://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/news/179157/Shujan-fears-unfair-elections-after
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