UP polls campaigning abound with irregularities

According to a report in this newspaper on December 26, 2021, the Election Commission, in clear violation of the law, accepted nomination papers after the stipulated time for union parishad election at Chandipasha union in Mymensingh's Nandail upazila. It is another condemnable but not surprising move taken by this commission, which has been mired in controversies throughout its tenure.

The report said that one Iftekhar Hossain had submitted nomination papers as an independent candidate on December 8, while the next day Amdadul Haque Bhuiyan submitted his with Awami League's recommendation attached. However, on December 10—the day after the final date for submission—Iftekhar submitted his nomination papers again, this time with the Awami League's recommendation. In complete violation of the law, the Election Commission accepted his new papers and cancelled his previous submission, while cancelling Amdad's nomination at the same time.

Locals have alleged that the union's poll officials had initially refused to accept the papers submitted after the deadline. However, local lawmaker Anwarul Abedin Khan put pressure on them to break the law. The fact that the Election Commission has been so willing to bend the law at the insistence of anyone is deplorable. The law is there for a reason.

A similar incident took place in Rajgati union in the same upazila, where another candidate submitted his papers with the ruling party's recommendation, while one Abdur Rauf submitted his independently. However, Rauf got the party candidacy and the other candidate's nomination was cancelled. According to the election authority's own circular issued on November 27, no political party can nominate more than one person for the chairman post in the union parishad polls. "If more than one person is nominated by a party, the nomination paper will be considered void," it wrote. Section 12 (7) of the local government (union parishad) law also states that if any person signs more than one nomination paper, all their papers except the first one submitted will be cancelled. Then, on what basis has the Election Commission violated these rules?

The Election Commission owes the public an explanation. The fact that this commission has repeatedly failed to address election irregularities over the years has been bad enough. Now that it's breaking the law itself, it is setting a dangerously bad precedence for our democracy.

The matter has now reached the High Court, and we hope that the court will give its judgement as per the correct interpretation of the law. We also hope that the court will hold the election authority to account for its blatant disregard for the law, and ask it to answer for its disdain towards the people's right to participate in a free and fair election, where the laws are strictly followed by all concerned.