Shusashoner Jonno Nagorik (Shujan), a civil society platform, today called upon all to elect honest, competent and dedicated candidates in the Dhaka North and South City Corporation elections scheduled for February 1.

It also urged the authorities concerned to hold free, fair and peaceful elections to ensure a congenial atmosphere for the voters to exercise their voting rights.

“Those who will be elected in the upcoming Dhaka city elections will administer the city for next five years. We have to ensure that honest and dedicated candidates emerge as the winners,” Badiul Alam Majumdar, secretary of the platform, said while speaking at a human chain programme.

Shujan held the human chain in front of Jatiya Press Club in the capital today.

There are many concerns over the upcoming city election and one of those is that the Election Commission is playing a silent role despite violations of the electoral code and conduct, he said.

“It seems that the EC will not do anything that may annoy those in power,” he said, terming this attitude “an ominous sign”.

Mentioning that there are flaws in the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs), Badiul Alam said it is not possible to audit the cast vote as there is no paper trail system in EVMs.

People also do not have enough faith is use of EVMs for casting votes in the elections.

He, however, expressed hope that the voters will still go to vote centres without fear and will elect their expected candidates by voting for them.

Shujan Central Coordinator Dilip Kumar Sarker, who moderated the programme, urged all political parties to accept the verdict of the voters as the final result in the elctions.

He also called upon the government to provide all kind of supports to the Election Commission to hold the elections in a free, fair and credible manner.