Forthcoming mayoral polls

The announcement by the Election Commission about mayoral polls in three city corporations on July 30 is hardly exciting. If the previous mayoral poll in Khulna was any indication, there's little prospect that these three would take place in an unmarred manner.

Since taking charge, the Election Commission has overseen a number of local elections—from UP to municipality and mayoral. None of them was held in a free and fair manner, according to election observers and media reports, except for Rangpur's city polls, because of some obvious reasons.

Instead of taking a firm stance, the EC has exposed its inability to withstand pressure from the ruling party. It has bent the rules for them but ignored the concerns of the opposition camp. For example, in the case of Khulna, the EC took an unprecedented decision of sending a high-ranking official to "assist" the returning officer, about whom the ruling party had some reservations. On the other hand, the EC watched as the police detained scores of opposition campaigners under its nose flouting the Supreme Court's directives.

Therefore, a big question mark hangs over the EC's credibility as a neutral and competent referee. If it has not been able to organise previous local elections without blemish, it is time for it to establish its writ on the election process.

It's imperative that the Election Commission addresses the concerns raised about its credibility. And, holding the next three mayoral elections along with Gazipur's properly can be a good opportunity to retrieve its image.