Election Commission (EC) has ordered that all new donations and relief distribution be stopped in the constituencies till the upcoming Dhaka North and South City Corporation elections are over.
A letter, signed by Atiar Rahman, deputy secretary of the EC was sent to the Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, Secretary of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs and Bangladesh Red Crescent Society on Saturday (Jan. 4).
The letter said that according to the schedule announced for the elections of Dhaka North City Corporation and Dhaka South City Corporation December 22, voting will be held on Thursday, January 30, 2020.
According to the City Corporation Election Conduct Rules, 2016, any candidate or rival candidate or any political party, any other person, organization or institution concerned, from the date of declaration of election schedule to the date of the announcement of the election result gazette notification cannot distribute any relief cash or kind or any donation. Nobody or any institution can even make any promise in that regard. Violation of the provisions of this Rule shall be treated as punishable offense and the persons concerned for such offense shall be punishable in accordance with Rule 31 of the Code of Conduct.
The letter also said that the Election Commission has decided to keep the Dhaka North City Corporation and Dhaka South City Corporation free from the impact of any new kind of grant relief, including issuing new VGD card from the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief in the constituency till the completion of the election process. Distribution activities cannot be accepted.
However, the letter also states that the relief activities that such on going program will continue.
The letter further said that the decision to suspend new types of grants / relief distribution activities in the constituencies (Dhaka North City Corporation and Dhaka South City Corporation areas), including issuing new VGD cards, until the completion of the election of Dhaka North City Corporation and Dhaka South City Corporation. Such program can be continued by the Deputy Commissioner of after taking due consent from the EC in writing.
According to the EC announced schedule, the last time for filing nominations for the two cities was December 31, and the nomination papers were scrutinized on January 2. Candidates withdrawal on January 9, symbol will be allotted on January 10. The voting will be held on January 30.