No CCTV cameras during Bogura by-polls

Staff Reporter :
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) on Tuesday approved Tk 5,651.13 crore for various development projects.
The EVM procurement bill was not included in these projects.
The same day, Election Commissioner (EC) Rashida Sultana said in Bogura that there would be no CCTV cameras on 1 February for by-polls to the five constituencies vacated by BNP lawmakers in December due to a lack of budget allocation.Seven BNP leaders announced their resignation from parliament at a rally on 10 December, including those from the Bogura-6 and Bogura-4 Constituencies.
Rashida held a meeting with the presiding officers and candidates of the two Bogura constituencies at the district administration office on Tuesday, where she said all the five by-polls on 1 February would be held without CCTV cameras as this is not a legal requirement.
If the government sets aside funds for cameras in future polls, they would be installed accordingly, she added.
She further said the commission now has electronic voting machines to cover 60-70 constituencies – down from 80 due to damage.
After the meeting, ruling party candidate Ragebul Ahsan Ripu said to the newsmen that he has assured Election Commissioner Rashida of following all guidelines during election campaigns.
Independent candidate Abdul Mannan Akhand said the overall election situation is pleasant for now and hopefully the voting process would also be fair.
Earlier the Election Commission (EC) has finalised a project worth Tk8,711 crore to procure 2 lakh new electronic voting machines (EVMs) for the 12th parliamentary elections.