Ensure fair city polls, Sujan urges EC

Sushashoner Jonno Nagorik (Sujan), a civil society platform working for good governance, today urged the election office to take necessary steps to ensure free, fair and peaceful elections to Dhaka and Chittagong city corporations.

"We urge the Election Commission to take initiatives so that the candidates obey the electoral codes of conduct," Badiul Alam Majumdar, secretary of the organisation, said while reading out a written statement.

Alam was addressing a press conference at Institution of Diploma Engineers at Kakrail in the morning.

Sujan also called upon the commission to deploy army before the city polls, if necessary.

Addressing the briefing, its President Hafiz Uddin Khan urged the authorities concerned to grant bail to those, who are now in jail in different cases and want to run the Dhaka and Chittagong city polls, scheduled for April 28.

More than 42 lakh voters are entitled to exercise franchise in the long-overdue polls to Dhaka north and south city corporations and over 18 lakh voters in Chittagong.

The Awami League has already endorsed two mayoral aspirants -- Sayeed Khokan, son of late DCC mayor Mohammad Hanif, and Annisul Huq, former FBCCI president, for the two Dhaka city corporations, while AJM Nasir Uddin, general secretary of Chittagong city AL, for Chittagong.

However, BNP is yet to say whether it will back any aspirant or not.