By-election: Message for EC

. PHOTO: STAR

Reports said that the polling centres of Kolapara Union were taken control of and that the casting of false votes were freely done, both by the supporters of BNP candidate in presence of polling and law enforcement officials. At Shamsabad, BNP supporters and police chased Bikalpa Dhara supporters out of the polling centre, and written complaint to that effect was spurned by the Returning Officer. "BNP men were casting fake votes since morning, but they were helpless to act", said a law enforcer on duty at a primary school, and an Ansar said to the journalists, "Sir, they came here to cast vote for the fifth time", quoted the report as saying. To scare away minority voters, a popular Hindu primary school teacher Sunil Sarker was picked up from his home at 5pm the day before and was detained for the whole election day without any charge against him. The picture of detained Sunil Sarker on the front page of the daily escaped nobody's attention and a photo in journalistic parlance tells more than what thousand words do. Another local leader Abdul Kader Member was also detained for he was to mobilise voters in favour of Bikalpa Dhara candidate. Besides beating up of a 80 year old man, one Gazi Shahidul Huq and his co-activists were forced by BNP men to leave a polling centre without casting vote, and in drawing attention of the presiding officer to that, he said he had nothing to do. Do you call this election fair and free -- whoever won the fray? If the election commission as is constitutionally bound to stage a free and fair election, it must have taken note of the above violations of election code of conduct and short shrifts, and it must show guts to redress them.

The by-election in Munshiganj is an eye opener for the Election Commission as far as the upcoming by-election in Dhaka is concerned. Bikalapa Dhara candidate has already accused the ruling BNP activists of not allowing his supporters to campaign. The nation was already shocked at the initiative by the government in collusion with the EC to stall awarding of 'Kula' to the BD candidate. The election commission must ensure his safe access to the voters and participation of the voters in the franchise without coercion from any quarters, and we hope, it will not act as the cat's paw of the party in power that may bring back the memories of Magura election. That may blow the citizens' head with unpredictable consequences.