Although the municipality polls are only eight days away, many returning officers are falling behind with the probes into alleged violations of electoral laws by the ruling Awami League men.

The Election Commission in the last one and a half weeks sent letters in phases to about 50 returning officers (RO), including 10 yesterday, asking them to investigate the allegations raised in the media.

Complaints were made against Health Minister Mohammad Nasim, Whip Atiur Rahman, three lawmakers from AL and some of its mayor aspirants.

EC officials said the commission did not set any deadline for the ROs to send their reports.

Until yesterday, the EC received reports from only around 10 ROs. Most of them found the allegations to be false. Some even claimed that the media reports were not authentic.

Talking to The Daily Star, a deputy secretary of the EC secretariat said the delay occurred as the ROs needed time to complete the enquiries.

However, election experts said the returning officers should have completed all the probes promptly as the December 30 polls were just a few days away.

"Each and every moment in the electoral process is important. The commission should have set a deadline for the returning officers and taken action against those who could not meet the deadline," said former election commissioner M Sakhawat Hussain.

An election commissioner expressed dissatisfaction with the reports of some ROs who found no evidence of electoral code violation. "They [ROs] should have probed the incidents more sincerely."

According to newspaper reports, Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu and Religious Affairs Minister Matiur Rahman joined a rally in Phulpur municipality of Mymensingh on December 3. The ministers, in presence of the AL mayoral nominee, urged party men to remain united and work together to ensure victory for the AL candidate.

The RO in his enquiry report claimed that the ministers addressed the rally, but did not campaign for the mayor hopeful, said EC sources.

As per the electoral code of conduct, ministers, parliament whips and lawmakers cannot join any electoral activities.

CANDIDACIES OF 200

The EC yesterday decided to file appeals with the higher court challenging the High Court's verdicts that declared the candidacies of around 200 mayor and councillor hopefuls valid.

The decision was reached in a majority opinion as the chief election commissioner and three other commissioners favoured filing the appeals, EC sources said.

Returning officers and deputy commissioners had cancelled their nominations on different gourds including defaulting bank loans and utility bills.

An election commissioner opposed the decision saying that it would cause complexities in printing ballots. The court would take at least a few more days for disposing of the pleas. If some of the appeals were upheld by the court, the commission will have to reprint the ballots with their polls symbols.

CHATKHIL POLLS

The EC will decide today on the validity of the nomination of BNP mayor hopeful Mostafa Kamal in Chatkhil municipality of Noakhali, said an election commissioner.

In a letter to the EC on December 14, Kamal alleged that he was forced by ruling AL men on the previous day to affix his sign on a paper for withdrawing his candidacy.

BNP Joint Secretary General Mahbub Uddin Khokon filed the complaint with the EC on behalf of the candidate. The commission later formed an enquiry committee that submitted its report to EC yesterday. The report said the allegation was not true, said sources.

Neither Kamal nor Khokon were present before the probe committee during the hearing on the complaint.

Khokon yesterday again went to the EC and submitted a letter saying that they provided the probe body with all necessary documents to prove the allegation.    

OCs UNDER SCANNER   

The EC has directed the superintendents of police of three districts to probe the allegations against the officers-in-charge of three police stations that they worked in favour of the AL candidates.

The police stations are Jagannathpur of Sunamganj, Hatia of Noakhali and Ishwarganj of Mymensingh.

Earlier, the commission had asked the police authorities to withdraw the OCs of three police stations -- Uttar Matlab of Chandpur, Kulaura of Moulvibazar and Kalkini of Madaripur -- on the same allegation. 

MP'S WARNED

The EC in separate letters to three AL lawmakers yesterday warned them of not to violate the electoral code of conduct in future.

Safiqul Islam Shimul from Natore-2, MA Malek from Dhaka-20 and Shawkat Hasnur Rahman from Barguna-2 had apologised to the EC for violating electoral laws.

'ENSURE LEVEL PLAYING FIELD'

The AL yesterday demanded the EC ensure a level playing field for all political parties ahead of the municipal polls.

"In the last few days, the Election Commission took actions against some Awami League candidates for allegedly breaching the electoral code of conduct which was unfair," AL Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif told a press briefing at the party president's Dhanmondi office.

The EC, however, didn't take any action against some BNP leaders and activists for similar violations of law, he complained.