Dhaka City Polls: EC, AL at odds over lawmakers campaigning

Tension has grown between the ruling Awami League and Election Commission over MPs participation in the Dhaka city polls campaign.

After a meeting with the chief election commissioner (CEC) and other election commissioners at the Nirbachon Bhaban yesterday, senior AL leaders said MPs could take part in campaigns.

However, after the same meeting, CEC KM Nurul Huda said the MPs participation would be considered a breach of conduct. 

On January 9, Election Commissioner Mahbub Talukdar said the “level playing field” would be affected if MPs started electioneering.

“With concern, I’m noticing that parliament members are taking part in campaigns. It is a clear violation of the Electoral Code of Conduct 2016,” Mahbub said in an unofficial note to the CEC.

After meeting an AL delegation on January 8, Talukder said, “There is law… Very important persons like ministers and members of parliament cannot participate in any election activities and campaigns. They can only cast their votes. It is not possible to go beyond the law,”

The AL-EC tension began after the AL on January 3 formed two committees to coordinate the campaigns for mayor hopefuls from the AL tent.

AL advisory committee members Tofail Ahmed and Amir Hossain Amu will lead the committees for DNCC and DSCC. Both of them are lawmakers.

AL presidium member Faruk Khan MP and Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif MP are members of the DNCC committee.

Agriculture Minister Muhammad Abdur Razzaque is a member of the DSCC committee.

Talking to reporters after meeting the AL delegation led by Tofail Ahmed, the CEC yesterday said MPs would not be able to seek votes on behalf of any candidate in the city polls.

The CEC said MPs were not allowed to be coordinators of a campaign. Be it indoors or outdoors, they must keep away from any election related activities.

“We have explained it to them. The prime minister, ministers, and MPs cannot speak on behalf of or against a candidate.”

Asked whether Tofail and Amu would be able to act as campaign coordinators, the CEC said, “I think they will not be able to do that… We are yet to be informed officially about this. Once we are formally informed, we will tell them that they won’t be able to become campaign coordinators.”

After yesterday’s meeting at the EC, Tofail said they went to the EC to learn about the electoral code of conduct regarding the bar on MPs taking part in the election campaign.

MPs have no bar to act as coordinators staying inside their office, he said.

Coordinators will be able to do every election related activities, except for seeking votes, he added.

The AL senior leader claimed that all the election commissioners, except Mahbub Talukder, agreed with them.

Meanwhile, AL leader Mohammed Nasim yesterday said the EC should amend its electoral code of conduct allowing MPs to participate in the campaign.

“It’s unfortunate we couldn’t participate in the campaign,” he said at AL President Sheikh Hasina’s Dhanmondi office.