Badiul Alam Majumdar, chief of the Election System Reform Commission, yesterday said he sees no obstacles for those who comply with the law and prepare accordingly to participate in future elections.

"This, however, falls under the jurisdiction of the Election Commission," he wrote in a Facebook post.

He added that the Awami League's electoral activities would depend on the resolution of the cases filed against its leaders. Many AL leaders, including the deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, stand accused in murder cases, including those filed under the ICT Act.

Majumdar came up with the post to clarify the comments he had made earlier in the day after a dialogue with stakeholders at the Rangpur Deputy Commissioner's Office, organised by the Election Reform Commission.

After the discussion, when a journalist asked if AL could participate in the polls, he replied, "Like you, we too are waiting to see. I don't see any barriers and neither have I observed any deliberate obstacles for them [to participate]."

Stressing the need for an inclusive election, he also said, "Any party that is prepared to contest [the polls] will be able to do so without any barriers. I hope, all parties will participate in the election."

In his post, Majumdar said the media had misquoted him, "which is undesirable".

Hours after the dialogue in Rangpur, the Anti-discrimination Students' Movement in a press release sharply rejected his comments.

Umama Fatema, spokesperson for the platform, wrote, "The Awami League had unlawfully manipulated the last three elections to hold on to power. Allowing a party that has tarnished Bangladesh's electoral system to participate in the election is a direct affront to the people's aspirations …. It would undermine the sacrifices of the July uprising martyrs."

In the release, the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement called on Majumdar to retract his statement and take appropriate measures to prevent the AL from participating in the election.

In his response, Majumdar wrote, "Following the discussions, some local journalists asked me about future polls. I stated that our commission would propose necessary reforms to electoral laws, rules, and regulations to ensure fair, impartial, and participatory elections.

"Unfortunately, some media outlets have misinterpreted my statement and published misleading news."

He also wrote that the AL government was ousted on August 5 through a mass uprising that saw immense sacrifice and deaths of many students and others. He said that over the years he too played a role towards that ouster and was harassed in many ways.

Majumdar added that the misinterpretation (of his words) saddened him, and that such  propaganda is tantamount to disrespecting the blood of martyrs Abu Saeed and Mir Mugdho.

He, however, stated that the dialogue with the stakeholders in Rangpur was successful.

At that discussion, Majumdar also said, "This election will be festive with the participation of all political parties. No party will face any obstacle."

Speaking about past polls, he observed the elections under political party-led governments had obstructed the Election Commission from functioning impartially.

He then assured that this time, the election officials would be free from influence and able to conduct a fair, transparent and unbiased election.

Majumdar also mentioned that the Election Reform Commission plans to submit reform proposals to the chief adviser by December 31, after discussions with all political parties and stakeholders.