Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda today said the electronic voting machines (EVMs) that would be used in the upcoming elections to Dhaka North and South city corporations are of high quality and would not make it possible to cast fake votes using those.

“Our EVMs are of high quality. No fake votes can be cast using those,” he said.

The CEC also warned that the commission will take strict measures if law enforcers are found not delivering their duty sincerely during the upcoming elections.

CEC KM Nurul Huda said this during a meeting with the chiefs of different law enforcement agencies at Nirbachan Bhaban this afternoon.

“We don’t want to have any complaints regarding any irregularities and negligence in duty by the law enforcement officials. In case of minor issues you would have to solve those through your respective authorities of Police and BGB. We won’t let anyone get away with negligence in their due roles during the upcoming elections,” CEC Nurul Huda said.

“We are sincere to hold a free, fair and credible election and we expect to have your full cooperation in the same way we had previously,” he said.

“Please solve any issue that emerges to make sure that the voters can cast their votes without fear,” KM Nurul Huda also said.

“We often receive complaints that polling agents are not present at the centres. Of course you won’t have to bring the agents from their homes, but please make sure that no candidate’s agents are driven away from the centres.”

Terming the attack on BNP nominated mayor candidate for Dhaka North City Corporation (DNCC) Tabith Awal to be an unexpected incident, the CEC said the commission has taken steps in this regard.

Three election commissioner, chiefs of the different law enforcement agencies, EC secretary, and officials of the concerned ministries were present at the meeting.

The elections to the Dhaka North and South city corporations are slated for February 1.

Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda today said the commission will announce soon the reschedule for election to Dhaka North City Corporation mayoral post.

“We will hold a meeting with all the election commissioners very soon to discuss about the fresh schedule for the election,” the CEC told reporters after a programme at his office in Dhaka.  

Responding to a query, KM Nurul Huda said the polls will be held at a day during the upazila election, which is likely to be held in phases from the first week of March.  

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Upazila Parishad Polls: Schedule likely next month

EC Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed on January 14 said the commission is likely to announce the schedule for the upazila parishad polls in the first week of February.

Meanwhile, the High Court today cleared the way for holding elections to the city corporation mayoral post and polls in the 36 new wards under the two Dhaka city corporations.

The court lifted its earlier order that stayed the process for holding the DNCC and DSCC elections.

WHY THE POLLS WERE STAYED?

On February 25, 2018, the Supreme Court asked the HC to expedite hearing and disposal of its previous rules that halted the by-election to Dhaka North City Corporation mayoral post and polls in the 36 new wards under two Dhaka city corporations.

The process for holding the elections was to remain halted until the HC rules are disposed of, the court said.

Following three writ petitions, the HC issued three rules on January 17 and 18, asking the government and the EC to explain why the schedule for holding the by-polls to the DNCC mayoral post and elections in the new wards in DNCC and Dhaka South City Corporation should not be declared illegal.

It also stayed the election schedule for six months.

The by-polls to the DNCC mayoral post and the elections to 36 councillor posts in the 36 new wards -- 18 in DNCC and 18 in DSCC -- were scheduled to be on February 26, 2018.

The DNCC mayoral post fell vacant with the death of Annisul Huq on November 30 last year.

Election Commissioner Mahbub Talukdar is doing whatever necessary to disgrace and undermine the current Election Commission, Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda said today.

He said this following Mahbub Talukdar's speech at National Voters' Day programme at the auditorium of Bangladesh Nirbachon Bhaban today.

The CEC also accused Mahbub -- present at the programme at the time -- of undermining the commission for his own benefit.

"Mahbub Talukdar has made political remarks on the occasion of National Voters' Day," he stated.

"He does not work for the benefit of the country's Election Commission," CEC said.

Earlier, Mahbub Talukdar, at the same programme, said that voter turnout in the elections where electronic voting machines were used has reduced to a critical level.

Election Commissioner Mahbub Talukdar. File photo

He said that a "sensational" election took place at Rauzan municipality in Chattogram where all the mayor and councilor candidates were elected unopposed.

He also mockingly proposed that the same model can be followed across the country where everyone will be elected unopposed.

"This process will save money and can reduce violence, and Election Commission will have no responsibility. If it happens, question will arise whether there is any necessity of Election Commission anymore" Mahbub said.

Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda yesterday turned down BNP’s demand for not using electronic voting machines (EVMs) in the Dhaka city elections slated for January 30.

After a meeting with the CEC, the BNP alleged that the EVMs would be used in the Dhaka north and south city corporation polls for “silent vote rigging”, while the CEC said they wanted to ensure no irregularities take place in the elections.

“As EVM is an offline system, there is no scope for hacking. There is no scope for silent vote rigging. We had used the EVM in the parliamentary, local government, and city corporation elections. Voters or candidates did not raise such allegations,” the CEC said.

Defending the EC’s decision to use the voting machine at all polling centres in the DNCC and DSCC polls, the CEC said there were allegations in the past that votes were rigged, and cast ballots were thrown into ponds, even burnt.

“For getting rid of such irregularities, we are using the EVM,” he said, adding that a voter could not cast more than one vote in the EVM system.

The voting machine will not function before and after the polling time, the CEC said.

“We don’t have any plan to backtrack on the decision of using the EVM in the elections. We have made all preparations. We are fully ready,” he said.

Before the CEC talked to journalists at the commission, BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury said they urged the commission to refrain from using the EVM in the city polls.

“EVM is a method for stealing votes silently. EVM’s programming will be controlled, and election results will be manipulated,” he said.

“We don’t know anything about the programming, and there is no paper trail system for verification [after casting votes]. The use of EVM is dependent on presiding and assistant presiding officers. It cannot ensure people’s voting right.”

He said only four countries out of 200 are using the system. But there is no controversy over the Election Commission and the administration of the four countries.

The BNP leader said they informed the CEC in the meeting that police were arresting and harassing their candidates.

He alleged that a party-backed councillor candidate was arrested, while another was abducted and found in Munshiganj. The house of a party-backed female ward councillor candidate was also vandalised.

About the BNP’s allegation, the CEC said there would be no unnecessary arrest till January 30. “Police will take action only in line with the warrant of court. Our officials will talk to the police regarding the issue,” he added.

In the meeting, the BNP delegation handed party’s Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir’s letter to the CEC with a set of demands, including stopping any police drive without approval of the EC during the election time.

Other demands include depositing all legal arms to the police, issuing instructions for not setting up election camps within 500 metre off a polling station, declaration of the area within the purview of the armed forces on the election day, forming a security cell at every polling centre under the armed forces members, and ensuring entrance of journalists to polling centres.

BNP mayor candidate for DNCC Tabith Awal and its DSSC mayor candidate Ishraque Hossain, among others, joined the meeting.

Replying to a reporter’s query about BNP mayor candidate Tabith’s allegation that Awami League DNCC mayor candidate Atiqul Islam breached the electoral code of conduct, the CEC said, “The returning officer received the allegations and took actions … Election officials will conduct the polls following the rules and regulations.”

SHOW-CAUSE NOTICE

Atiqul was served a show-cause notice yesterday over the allegation.

He, along with a lawmaker, inaugurated an election camp at Uttara in his electoral area on Sunday, which is a clear violation of the Election Code of Conduct Rules-2016, the notice said.

The RO also asked Atiqul to come up with a written answer within the next two working days to explain why legal action would not be taken against him for violating the electoral code of conduct.

No aspirant will be able to carry out electioneering before allocation of electoral symbol, and no lawmakers and ministers are eligible to take part in the electioneering in favour of anyone.

The last date for withdrawal of the is January 9.