Army likely to be deployed in polls : EC Rashida

Staff Reporter :
Election Commissioner Rashida Sultana yesterday expressed high probability of army deployment in the 12th national election scheduled for January 7 next year.

The Election Commissioner also expressed confidence in the field-level administrations’ readiness to conduct the coming general election.
In response to a question whether the army will be present on the day of the polls, Rasheda said, “The probability is very high”. She was speaking after a meeting with field-level officials and members of law enforcement at the divisional commissioner’s office in Rangpur.

More discussion required regarding this issue. In all the previous general elections, army was deployed. Likewise, we also plan to deploy them after assessing the situation, she said.

Replying to a separate query, she confirmed there was no scope to defer the election. “It will be held on time under any situation.”
She also warned that it will not be tolerated if peoples’ voting rights are snatched away.

“It will be dealt through the law formulated by the EC to protect the voting rights,” she said.

Similar discussions took place in Dinajpur yesterday, involving officials from districts including Dinajpur, Panchagarh, Thakurgaon, and Nilphamari. The EC remains steadfast in ensuring a fair, impartial, and credible national election.

Election officials from the mentioned districts, along with high-ranking BGB, Rab, and Ansar officials, attended the meetings, reinforcing the collaborative effort towards a successful electoral process.