Hindustan Surkhiyan Desk: BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir today said that the Election Commission’s plan of using Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) in the upcoming general elections is an evil accord between the commission and the government to manipulate the polls result.
Speaking at a press conference at BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s Gulshan office in Dhaka, Fakhrul strongly opposed the EC’s plan and warned it of paying a heavy price if it does not refrain from making such move.
“The government and the Election Commission reached an evil accord to create a scope for digital vote rigging. We once again ask the commission to revoke its move to buy EVM machines ahead of the next general election,” Fakhrul said.
Just four months ahead of the national election, Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda today held a meeting with other commissioners at the commission’s Agargaon office in the capital and decided to amend the charter of Representation of People Order (RPO) to incorporate the use of EVMs in the upcoming national election.
Meanwhile, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader today told reporters that his party would accept the EC’s decision in this regard.
Quader, also the minister for Road Transport and Bridges, told this in response to a query while he was visiting Dhaka-Mymensingh highway.
Fakhrul alleged that Awami League is now “depending on machineries after losing peoples’ confidence ahead of the election”.
BNP arranged the press conference to give the party’s formal reaction to the EC’s plan for using EVMs in 100 constituencies in the upcoming 11th parliamentary elections.
Fakhrul presented various examples and logics defending the party’s objection against the use of EVMs in the next general election.
Mentioning that CEC KM Nurul Huda assured people of not using the EVMs after he had taken the charge of the commission, Fakhrul questioned what now prompted the EC to hurriedly procure 1.5 lakh EVMs spending Tk 4,000 crore.
He urged the EC to engage in talks with all stakeholders and take steps for ensuring a fair voting through the customary ballot paper system.
The BNP leader also presented a 11-point proposal for taking necessary steps for credible election by spending Tk 4,000 crore instead of procuring EVMs.
The proposals are: installing CCTV cameras at 44,000 polling stations, developing the infrastructure of the educational institutions to be used as voting centres, providing upazila election officers with necessary transport facilities, setting up a modern printing press for printing ballot papers, enhancing the capacity of officers involved with the election process, providing all the upazila election offices with video cameras, taking a “voter education and awareness programme”, and ensuring sufficient honorarium for election officials and members of Ansar-VDP and village police.
