Hindustan Surkhiyan Desk: Ruling Awami League-led 14-party alliance today urged Election Commission not to comply with Jatiya Oikyafront’s demand for withdrawal of 92 officials ahead of the upcoming elections.
Dilip Barua, general secretary of Bangladesher Samyabadi Dal, confirmed reporters of the call made after meeting the chief election commissioner at his Agargaon office this afternoon.
“They want to demoralise the civil administrators by bringing a bizarre allegation. They are moving with an agenda to fish in troubled waters,” he said.
Barua led a 12-member delegation and handed a letter to EC Secretary Helal Uddin Ahmed, alleging eight electoral violations against BNP and Jatiya Oikyafront.
He added, an elaborate discussion was held with the commission towards holding the upcoming general election can be held in a free and fair manner.
Jatiya Oikyafront has demanded withdrawal of 92 officials of the civil and police administrations, including the secretaries of the Election Commission, home and public administration ministries, for ensuring a level playing field for all candidates in the national election.
The opposition alliance, composed of BNP and some other political parties, submitted a list of “partisan and controversial officials” to the chief election commissioner (CEC) yesterday.
They demanded withdrawal of more than 60 top police officials, including the deputy and additional inspectors general of police. In the list, they mentioned names and other identities of the officials who are involved in making the ground even more uneven.
WHEN IS THE ELECTION?
Election Commission has revised polls schedule, deferring the 11th general election by a week to December 30 – a decision taken earlier this week.
The authorities have fixed November 28 as the deadline for filing nomination papers, December 2 for scrutiny and December 9 last date of withdrawal.
The move came following demands from several opposition political parties.
