The newly appointed Religious Affairs Minister Faridul Haque Khan has requested the Election Commission to be forgiving about him casting his vote publicly on election day, which is a violation of the electoral code of conduct.
He confirmed the matter to the media after submitting a written statement to the commission over the violation on Monday.
The minister told journalists: “There is a government, law, and constitution in the country. I am not above the law, and neither is anyone else. Therefore, as per regulations, the EC asked me to appear before them. I complied and presented my case to the commission. I respect the law.”
“If there was not a major offence, I request the EC to view the matter considerately. The commission will decide on it," he added.
When asked about whether the Awami League is embarrassed by this incident, he said: "No, the Awami League is not embarrassed, and neither is anyone else."
Faridul Haque Khan, the Awami League candidate for Jamalpur-2 (Islampur), publicly cast his vote instead of using a private booth.
This happened on January 7 at about 9am at Shiraj Bad High School in Islampur upazila's Palbandha union and was reported in the media.