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Download PDF Awami League (AL)-led grand electoral alliance last night did not make it clear whether it is participating in the upcoming election under the current schedule, creating confusion among its grassroots level leaders and AL ticket aspirants.
Although today is the last date for submitting nomination papers, AL and its allies Jatiya Party, Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Zaker Party and other allied parties are not submitting the nomination papers today.
“We have learnt that the Election Commission (EC) will extend the time for nomination submission by three days. We are observing whether the situation changes,” AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil said at a news briefing in Dhanmondi AL office following a meeting of AL-led 14-party coalition.
Being divided over the issue of participating in the next poll under the current schedule, top leaders of AL, especially members of the presidium, yesterday decided to rely on party chief Sheikh Hasina to take the final decision on the matter. “If our party chief says yes about participating in the next polls under the current polling date, we will follow her direction,” AL Joint General Secretary Obaidul Quader told The Daily Star.
However, a number of top leaders of AL and its allies, including AL Presidium Member Kazi Zafarullah told The Daily Star that there is no possibility of submitting nominations today.
“We don’t have the voter list in our hands. We don’t have the voter’s serial numbers of either the proposer or the supporter of a candidate, so how can we fill the nomination forms by today?” asked Zafarullah.
Meanwhile, Liberal Democratic Party’s (LDP) President AQM Badruddoza Chowdhury, Executive President Col (retd) Oli Ahmed, Secretary General Maj (retd) Abdul Mannan, and its Organising Secretary Mahi B Chowdhury met AL President Sheikh Hasina yesterday and discussed seat sharing.
Following the meeting, Mahi told reporters that there is no possibility of them submitting nomination papers today.
A 14-party delegation had a meeting with the EC yesterday and asked the acting chief election commissioner (CEC) to defer the election date by 55 days after getting clearance from the Supreme Court.
“The Election Commission can ask the chief adviser to seek time from the Supreme Court according to section 106 of the constitution,” Suranjit Sengupta, who led the nine-member 14-party delegation to the EC, told newsmen following the meeting.
The delegation during the two-hour long meeting asked the acting CEC to announce a new poll schedule after correcting and updating the voter roll.
“An election without correcting and updating the voter list following proper steps will be unconstitutional, unacceptable and undemocratic,” Suranjit told the newsmen.
The grand electoral alliance candidates will not submit their nomination papers today, according to the delegation.
They told the acting CEC that they will not participate in the upcoming election if a level playing filed is not created.
“The EC did not take proper measures to update and correct the voter list,” Suranjit said adding that there are 1.6 crore fake voters on the updated electoral roll. “It’s absurd to hold an election under the circumstances,” he said.
The 14-party delegation urged the EC not to appoint polling officers and presiding officers from any controversial institution.
Suranjit also said there is no provision for an acting CEC in the constitution therefore the current EC is unconstitutional.
Earlier, AL General Secretary Abdul Jalil said, “We along with the others in the grand alliance want to participate in the election but the environment for holding a fair election is yet to be created.”
He was talking to reporters following a meeting of AL presidium members chaired by AL President Sheikh Hasina in her Sudha Sadan residence in Dhanmondi yesterday.
He also said if the caretaker government (CG) and the EC were sincere, a fair election could be held within the stipulated 90-day tenure of the CG.
The grand alliance has almost finished finalising the list of its candidates for the upcoming election, he said adding, “The remaining tasks will be completed in a day or two.”
AL Presidium Member Tofail Ahmed said the next 24 hours are very important for the nation. He also ruled out any possibility of submitting their nomination papers today.
Jalil, who is also the 14-party coalition coordinator, said the work of correcting the voter list is still incomplete. An election can never be held without a corrected voter roll, he added.
He also said, “After correcting the voter list, a fresh poll schedule must be announced. Announcement of the current election schedule before publication of the voter list was illegal.”
The package proposal has also not been implemented completely yet, Jalil quipped.
“The chief adviser is the root of all problems,” the AL leader said, reiterating his party’s allegation that the president violated the constitution by assuming the post of chief adviser himself.
Jalil claimed a number of polling centres have also been changed for the benefit of four-party alliance candidates.
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