Dhaka, Nov 5 (Just News): Gano Forum chief Dr Kamal Hossain-led Jatiya Oikya Front has urged the Election Commission to defer the announcement of the general election’s schedule until the talks end with the government.
“We had a cordial discussion. They have addressed some of our concerns, but not all of them,“ Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD) chief ASM Abdur Rab told the media on Monday after a meeting with the commission.
Rab led a delegation of the newly formed coalition to the talks with Chief Election Commissioner KM Nurul Huda and his colleagues, Commissioners Md Rafiqul Islam, Mahbub Talukder, Kabita Khanam and Shahadat Hossain Chowhdhury.
The Oikya Front delegation included pro-BNP professional’s group leader Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury, Nagarik Oikya Convenor Mahmudur Rahman Manna and BNP leaders, Gayeshwar Chandra Roy, Barkatullah Bulu and Noyeem Jahangir.
“We have asked the Commission to wait for the outcomes of the talks before announcing the schedule. The deadline for holding the polls is Jan 28 and there is precedence of deferring the schedule; it can be done for the sake of the nation,” said JSD President Rab.
The election commission has been told that the announcing the schedule without the consent of political parties, a stakeholder of the EC, will raise questions, he added.
Speaking to the media, Rab made it clear that they are against the use of electronic voting machines (EVMs). “We do not want EVMs, neither the voters nor political parties. We have told the Commission to not consider it seriously. But the Commission did not give it final word.”
During the talks with the EC, the Oikya Front demanded deploying the army with magistracy power ahead of the election.
“The CEC told us they have never said of not deploying troops and that the army was called in for the polls in the past. He, however, said that they were not the authority for magistracy power to army and added magistrates will be attached with troops.
But we demanded magistracy power for the army,” said Rab.
The EC told they will consider the Oikya Front’s demand for deferring the schedule, according to the JSD leader.
(Justnews/ys/1900hr)
