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A road in Kalibazar, Narayanganj, is awash with posters of different candidates. Campaigning for the maiden Narayanganj City Corporation election concluded at midnight ahead of polling on Sunday. syed zakir hosainElection Commission is yet to deploy army personnel in Narayanganj City Corporation elections much to the frustration of Awami League rebel candidate Dr Selina Hayat Ivy and BNP-backed Taimur Alam Khandkar. Chief Election Commissioner ATM Shamshul Huda has already said the commission failed to deploy the army due to non-cooperation from the government.
Meanwhile, the main opposition BNP at an emergency press briefing on Friday demanded resignation of the election commissioners for their failure to deploy army in the polls.
The party even hinted at withdrawal of its candidate from the polls race.
?The government is hatching a conspiracy to ensure victory for AL-backed candidate Shamim Osman through vote rigging,? Abdullah Al Noman, vice-chairmen of BNP told reporters at the party?s Naya Paltan headquarters.
?The government didn?t pay heed to our request,? the CEC told waiting journalists at his secretariat in the city after an emergency meeting on Friday evening.
Four companies of the army were supposed to be posted in the election areas for five days from 6:00am on Friday to midnight of 1 November, according to the commission?s earlier decision.
Former Narayanganj municipality mayor Dr Selina Hayat Ivy and opposition BNP-backed Taimur Alam Khandkar expressed their deep concern over non-deployment of the army and feared vote rigging and even direct manipulation of election results.
They feared that the army had not been deployed only to help ruling AL-backed AKM Shamim Osman win the electoral race.
The commission, in a letter, requested the government to deploy the army during the polls. ?As the government has not yet replied, it is clear that army would not be deployed,? said Huda.
In her reaction to the EC?s announcement, Dr Selina Hayat Ivy told reporters at his residence that the army had not been deployed to rig the election.
?It is high time the EC took stern measures to prove its neutrality,? she said reminding the EC about its earlier assurance that it will deploy the army.
In view of the situation, the CEC told the media that the commission has two options now ? it can either suspend the elections or take help from other law enforcing agencies to hold the voting.
He, however, said that the commission would have to hold the NCC elections within 180 days as per law and that is why there is no alternative to holding the elections in due time.
He said they requested the director general of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) to deploy at least 100 Rab personnel to keep order during the elections.
?But we still do not know if we will get additional Rab personnel,? Huda added.
When asked if the government violated the constitution by ignoring the EC demand, the CEC said as per the constitution ?it does mean so?.
The commission is supposed to receive from the government all necessary cooperation inclusive of deployment of members of different law enforcing agencies to ensure free, fair and impartial elections, he said.
He, however, still hopeful that people of Narayanganj could exercise their franchise as still a congenial atmosphere is prevailing in the city ahead of the elections.
Asked whether she would contest the poll in absence of the army, Ivy said: ?People will act as my ?army?. I will not leave the battlefield.?
Sammolita Nagorik Parishad, a platform of common people formed to back Ivy a few days ago, urged the government to deploy the army in the polls.
At a press briefing held at Ivy?s residence parishad member and president of the AL town unit Anwar Hossain said that they believe EC will take necessary steps to deploy army. If it fails to do so its role will be questioned.
In the evening, Taimur told daily sun, ?The government scrapped the decision of the army deployment as it wants to hold the election as per the government blueprint. But I won?t quit.?
In a press release Taimur asked the voters not to pay heed to rumour that he pulled himself out of the race.
?No one, except death, can pull me out of the poll race,? he said.
Earlier, Taimur called on Returning Officer Biswas Lutfar Rahman at 12.30pm and expressed his concern over non-deployment of army. ?Without the army a fair election is impossible,? Taimur told journalists emerging out of the returning officer?s room.
Talking to daily sun many voters said they feared poll violence and vote rigging without deployment of the army.
Meanwhile, Narayanganj unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) brought out a procession from Number- 2 Railgate area demanding immediate resignation of the chief election commissioner following its decision not to deploy the army but law enforcers dispersed the procession.
Source: daily-sun.com
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