EC faces triple challenges to hold upazila polls

Md Mosharef Hossain Sikdar :
The government is likely to face some headwinds in the upcoming upazila parishad elections to make it more participatory and credible.

According to sources, ensuring a level playing field and high voter turnout as well as maintaining a violence free environment will be very tough for the EC as some of the major political parties are still undecided to take part in the elections.

Meanwhile, the Election Commission (EC) has announced the polls schedule for 344 upazila councils which will be held in four phases from 4 May to 25 May.

The ruling Awami League (AL) has already declared its decision to participate in the elections. Parliamentary opposition party, Jatiya Party (JaPa), also expressed its willingness to participate in local body polls.

But, the mainstream opposition political party, Bangladesh Nationalist Party, still remains adamant in its decision not to participate in any elections under the AL government and continue to sport their demands including resignation of the government.

Under this circumstance, the ruling AL may not have allowed their party symbol (Boat) in local body polls which the party thinks will make the election participatory, free and fair.

According to local government experts, if BNP and other major parties do not participate in the local government elections, the new decision of AL will open up the opportunity for party candidates to contest and the level of conflict violence may also increase.

Senior leaders of the anti-Awami League movement said there is a sinister motive behind not allowing the party symbol in the upazila election, a ploy of the government to ensure its own party leaders to win like the 12th one-sided parliamentary election.

They said AL has amended the local government law and that included provision of allowing party symbols and ensured party nomination just to influence the voting result in their favor.

They also claimed that the ruling party has changed the EC and laws by using their power when it is needed.

According to EC sources, under the law, elections for the upazila parishads must be conducted within 180 days before the completion of the term in office. Currently, 452 upazila parishads are eligible for elections, and these elections should be held by June. Nearly all upazilas will be ready for elections by March, with a few exceptions.

While talking over the issue, EC commissioner Md. Alamgir said EC is planning to arrange the upazila election from the end of April to May last in phases.

Considering the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) examinations and Holy Ramadan, the EC has started readying itself to hold upazila parishad polls.

EC officials said if the BNP and other registered political parties don’t take part in the local body polls, EC will follow alternative ways to organise the polls making it participatory so that it can duck the laceration staging a ‘dummy election’ like those of 12th parliamentary polls.

AL decision not allowing the party symbol in polls will hike not only the participation in election races but also violence, EC officials said.

EC is planning to hold elections in cherry-picked upazilas, whose tenures have expired too, will see small deployment of law enforcement agencies in those voting areas, EC sources said.

Question was also raised about EC by various quarters about voter turnover in the upcoming upazila parishad election which is going to hold at the end of April.

After analyzing the previous upazila parishad election, it was seen that the fifth upazila parishad elections of 455 upazila’stook place in five phases from March to June in 2019.

In that upazila parishad election AL nominated candidates with “boat” symbol and won as chairman in 320 upazilas out of 473. Vice-chairman and women vice-chairman posts were open to all. BNP has boycotted the 2019’s upazila parishad election on account of allowing party symbols.

As per EC’s information, in 2015 the then ruling AL government had decided to hold the local government elections under party banner with party symbol through an amendment of the Upazila Parishad (Reintroduction of the Repealed Act and Amendment) Act 2009. After that in March 2017, the elections of three upazilas were held under party symbol for the first time.

According to law, there are two ways to give a nomination. Of them, one is a political party nomination and another is independent. In this situation, the parties’ have freedom to decide while no need to change law.

EC Secretary Md. Jahangir Alam said that according to the existing law, if the candidate for the post of chairman or vice chairman of the upazilaparishad as an independent has not been elected to this post earlier, then he has to submit documents that he has the support of 250 voters.

He said any political party can participate in the upazila parishad election with their party symbol.

EC’s former additional secretary and also election expert JeshminTuli said EC has to follow a strict way to ensure level playing field to all. It will create chaos in elections when some parties will participate with symbols and some not.
To get rid of this situation there is no alternative way except to amend the law, she added.

Going to talk not allow party symbol and other issues, AL presidium member and alsoTextiles and Jute minister Jahangir Kabir Nanak said no one will be given party nomination in upcoming upazila election.

AL wants to make the upazila parishad election universal with huge participation and festive manner, he added.

The voters will have the opportunity to choose an inept and popular leader from their locality, he continued.

On the other hand, BNP standing committee member Selima Rahman said we did not take part in parliamentary polls as under party government fair polls is not possible. There is no possibility to join the upcoming local body polls under the AL government.

Badiul Alam Majumdar, Secretary of Shushashoner Jonno Nagorik (SHUJAN), a platform of ‘Citizens for Good Governance’, said the incumbent EC has failed to organise parliamentary elections with free, fair and participatory manner. The performance was similar to local body polls also.

They have failed to restore people’s faith to them. One-sided voting has impacted voter minds to apply their franchise. There is no way to organise free, fair and acceptable polls except forming the EC with neutral people, he added.

Election monitoring group Jatiya Nirbachon Parjabekkhon Parishad, also known as JANIPOP chairman Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah said lower voter turnover was affected by the election with party symbols. Inept and good and popular candidates show reluctance to contest in polls due to the ruling party’s candidate power.