Jamaat Says BNP Is Fielding Party Loyalists to Win Local Government Elections

Staff Correspondent

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami has alleged that the ruling BNP is appointing members of the Election Commission (EC) ahead of the local government elections. The party claims that these political appointments raise questions about the impartiality of the Election Commission and that such steps have been taken to influence the local government elections.

Jamaat Secretary General Professor Mia Golam Parwar raised these allegations to reporters after a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) AMM Nasir Uddin on Wednesday (July 29).

He said, Jamaat has expressed serious objections to various decisions of the Election Commission and some steps of the government ahead of the local government elections. The meeting highlighted the party’s position on several issues, including the cancellation of political appointments, withdrawal of the recommendation to declare MPO-listed teachers and employees ineligible for local government elections, declaring politically appointed people ineligible for elections, banning ministers and MPs from campaigning, and the proper exercise of the constitutional powers of the Election Commission.

Golam Parwar alleged that a person who had served as a political representative for the ruling party in the recently held national elections has been appointed as an additional secretary in the Election Commission on a contractual basis. He said such political appointments should be cancelled immediately. Otherwise, questions will be raised in the public mind about the impartiality of the Election Commission regarding the local government elections.

He claimed that the purpose of appointing a politically connected person to a constitutional institution like the Election Commission is to influence the election. In this regard, the commission officials said that they were not aware of the political identity of the person concerned earlier and came to know about it later through the media. However, according to Jamaat, if the commission wanted, it could have objected to the government by not allowing the official to join. He commented that the commission’s statement revealed their helplessness.

Jamaat also opposed the recommendation to declare MPO-affiliated teachers and employees ineligible for local government elections. Golam Parwar said, teachers have been participating in local government elections for a long time. Such a decision has been taken without consulting any political party or concerned stakeholders. Although there is no bar on MPO-affiliated teachers from running for the national parliament elections, imposing a ban on local government elections is discriminatory and against the civil rights guaranteed in the constitution.

He also said that there have been demands to ban office bearers of banned political parties from participating in the elections and to declare those appointed to city corporations, district councils, development authorities and various autonomous institutions disqualified from local government elections due to the current government’s political considerations. He alleged that these individuals are getting the opportunity to influence the elections by using government facilities.

The Jamaat Secretary General also said that since the local government elections will not be held under party symbols, MPs and ministers should not have the opportunity to campaign, hold meetings or participate in political activities on behalf of any candidate. The Election Commission has been urged to issue strict instructions in this regard.

Golam Parwar said that the Election Commission has assured to reconsider their written demands after discussing them in a commission meeting.

A meeting between Jamaat leaders and the Election Commission was held at the meeting room of the Election Building in the capital around 11:30 am on Wednesday. Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin, Election Commissioners Abdur Rahmanel Masud and Tahmida Ahmed, and Election Commission Senior Secretary Akhtar Ahmed were present.