EC gets tough on polls code violations

Allegations of the violation of electoral code of conducts are piling up against candidates and ruling party leaders during the ongoing sixth upazila parishad election across the country.

Most complaints are being filed against ruling party leaders, lawmakers and their relatives, and local government representatives, sources at the Election Commission (EC) said.

Major allegations against them are that they are acting on their favourite candidates, while many are threatening other candidates and their supporters.

Meanwhile, the commission is in hardline and said that stern actions will be taken if any electoral code of conducts is breached.

So far, hundreds of allegations of the violation of electoral code of conducts came to the EC. Already, many have been sentenced to jail or fined by executive magistrates in the fields due to the breach of the polling code of conducts, while many VIPs are being summoned to the commission, said EC Additional Secretary Ashok Kumar Debnath.

Around 1,000 allegations have already been disposed by the field level officials and more than 200 big allegations have been raised to the commission, he said.

On Monday, the EC summoned chairman candidate for Sreepur upazila of Gazipur Md Jamil Hassan asking him to explain why his candidature should not be cancelled over the violation of the electoral code of conduct several times. 

In another notice same day, Awami League lawmaker Abdul Hafiz was summoned by the commission to give his explanation regarding his open vote casting in the first phase of the upazila polls.

In the first phase of voting, Abdul Hafiz publicly voted in the Bakerganj Upazila Parishad election on 8 May. Publicly voting is an offence. 

Meanwhile, chairman candidate Shahjalal Mia for Araihazar upazila of Narayanganj filed an allegation to the commission against Narayanganj-2 lawmaker Nazrul Islam Babu for his violation of the electoral code of conduct on Monday.

This year, the upazila elections will be held in four phases in the country.