The political parties have not yet reached a consensus on the election. Awami League wants elections under the present government and some opposition including BNP wants elections under non-party government. To realize this demand, the opposition parties are running a tough program like hartal- blockade. As a result, the general public is worried about the peaceful environment of the election.
The Election Commission has made all kinds of preparations for the election due to the obligation of the constitution. As per custom, the EC informed the President on the preparation and progress of the elections on November 9. Now only schedule announcement is left. According to several EC commissioners, the national election schedule will be announced this week. The schedule of which will be finalized in the commission meeting. However, according to multiple sources, the schedule is going to be on November 12 or 13. And the vote will be taken in the first week of January.
Meanwhile, Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Habibul Awal recently said that due to the disagreements of the political parties, a favorable environment for the election was not created. He said several times that even if the environment is not favorable, the Election Commission has no option to organize the election within the stipulated time. Before announcing the schedule, the EC held a dialogue with the registered political parties. 13 political parties including BNP did not join it. Most of the political parties that joined the dialogue expressed their apprehensions about free and fair elections.
The commission has already completed all the activities in organizing the elections. Election expenses from EC, equipment, training, preparation, organizing various workshops in their preparation and final stages. This constitutional institution has already prepared a roadmap for conducting free, fair and impartial elections in the constitutional way. Ahead of the election, the EC has also completed the draft list of 42 thousand 350 polling centers in three hundred parliamentary constituencies, electoral officials and seat realignment.
The election commission has already finalized the voter list and polling stations. The total number of voters in the 12th Jatiyo Sangsad election is 11 crore 96 lakh 91 thousand 633 people. Of them 6 crore 7 lakh 71 thousand 579 men while 5 crore 89 lakh 19 thousand 202 women voters. And there are 852 Hijra voters. The number of possible polling stations in the election so far is 42 thousand 103. These centers will have 2 lakh 61 thousand 912 polling booths.
It is estimated that more than Tk 1500 crore will be spent to make elections free and fair. About 60 percent of this will be spent on maintaining law and order. It has been decided to give two days honorarium to presiding officers, assistant presiding officers and polling officers. Earlier they were given one day allowance. Besides, fuel consumption will also increase this time. More than 9 lakh public and private officials will be on electoral duty. In all, Tk 1 thousand 445 crore have been estimated. The EC said that if armed forces personnel are deployed in the elections, the cost will increase. Armed forces are usually deployed as striking forces.
Almost all types of equipment for organizing the election are sent to the field level in the last stage. Such as transparent ballot box, seal, stamp pad, indelible ink, official seal and 92 types of equipment purchase documents are also being prepared. The equipment of most of which has reached the hands of the Commission. Several equipment including transparent ballot boxes and ballot papers have been sent to regional election offices for taking votes in the mid-term elections. These tools will be sent from the regional offices to the field offices before the elections. The Election Commission has already sent a letter to the Ministry of Home Affairs regarding the security of election equipment and field offices.
Law and order forces have also held meetings with high-level officials on how the law and order situation will be before and after the elections. The law and order forces said that there are no major obstacles in organizing the meeting so far. However, the law and order forces are seriously monitoring the strike called by BNP for the next three days. They have assured the commission that they will be careful in this regard.
In the training program of the DC, SPs yesterday, he said that the whole country is in a frenzy about the elections. One of the tasks of the Election Commission is to make the election process visible as far as possible, to create transparency. Creating transparency will cover possible misinformation. Transparency means transparency of truth, transparency of lies. If there is lawlessness, it should be pointed out. DC and Superintendent of Police should do the main job of voting. The election should be coordinated. The work should be done with a sense of responsibility, not power. If it is necessary to exercise power in the performance of duty, then it must be done.
BNP is observing the ongoing hartal- blockade demanding elections under a non-partisan government. The commission will announce the election schedule at such time. Badiul Alam, secretary of ‘Sushashoner Jannay Nagrik’, told Barta 24.com, "It is the EC's constitutional duty to organize elections." We have to think that the current political situation is conducive to elections.