Dhaka Bureau: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Kazi Habibul Awal has said that in the upcoming 12th National Assembly election, if any polling center is rigged, that center will be closed immediately. He also said that although there are some complaints in this regard, the campaign and voting environment are normal.
The CEC said these things in an exchange meeting of the field administration officials along with the law enforcement forces of Mymensingh, Tangail, Kishoreganj, Jamalpur, Sherpur, and Netrakona at Advocate Tarek Smriti Auditorium, Town Hall, Mymensingh, around noon on Sunday (December 24).
He said that voting in one place will go to another; there is no chance; these are false campaigns. Even if only one center is rigged on polling day, polling will be stopped.
The Chief Election Commissioner said that people will forget after a few days what happened in the 15 days before the election. But what was the result on the day of the polling, whether there was rigging in the polling, whether the seal was forcibly sealed—if any such incident happens, the election will not be acceptable. However, the probability of such an event occurring is low.
In response to a question from journalists, Kazi Habibul Awal said that if there are five people in the army, it is not possible to touch all of them. 15–16 members of law and order forces, including the Ansar, Police, BGB, and Army, will guard the balance outside the center. But the returning officer has to take responsibility if the balance within the center fails to be maintained. Then the presiding officer should immediately stop the polling. The vote of that center should be taken 10 times, if necessary.
He said that whichever center OC, SP, DIG, or IG goes to, the game will be played, but on the day of voting among the candidates. But IG and DIG cannot enter the center. Only the returning officer can enter the center. If the presiding officer can maintain his authority at the center, then the OC, UNO, and SP DIG can’t do anything. And if anyone tries to influence, whoever he is, he will be brought under punishment.
Pointing out that the transparency of elections is very important, the CEC said it is a matter of seeing whether the voters can come to the center smoothly, whether they enter, whether they come out on time, and what they say to the media workers after coming out.
Divisional Commissioner Umme Salma Tanzia presided over the meeting. Election Commission Secretary Jahangir Alam, Range DIG Shah Abid Hossain, Deputy Commissioner Didare Alam Mohammad Maksud Chowdhury, Superintendent of Police Machum Ahmed Bhuya, and six district officials were present.
Before this, he participated in an exchange meeting with the candidates for all the parliamentary constituencies of the district at the Bhasha Shaheed Abdul Jabbar Auditorium in the city.
