Ready to resign if it benefits the country: EC Mahbub Talukdar

Election Commissioner Mahbub Talukdar has said that he is ready to resign from his position if it benefits the country.

Mahbub also said that he has nothing to say if Supreme Judicial Council is constituted to investigate allegations of corruption against the current Election Commission (EC).

The election commissioner was talking to reporters, marking the fourth anniversary of the current commission at his office this afternoon.

"If my resignation brings any benefit to the country, I'm ready to resign from my position," he said.

He made the comments as the EC has come under fire over allegations of financial corruption and irregularities and also low voter turnout in different elections, including by-polls.

Recently, 42 eminent citizens urged the president to constitute Supreme Judicial Council to probe allegations of corruption and misconduct by the EC.

They wrote two letters to the president -- on December 14 last year and January 17.

In their first letter, they said the current EC indulged in misconduct and irregularities, including expenditure on "special speakers" for delivering speeches in training programmes ahead of the 11th national election and the fifth upazila polls.

A group of lawyers and Left Democratic Alliance (LDA) also urged the election commissioners to resign from their positions.