The Election Commission has asked the Home Ministry to ensure that the municipal election slated for December 30 is held in a free and fair manner.
The letter signed by EC Secretary Sirajul Islam was sent to Senior Secretary of Home Affairs Dr Md Mozammel Haque Khan yesterday.
In the letter, the EC has asked the ministry to ensure security of the candidates and to look after overall security during the polls.
Usually, the EC officials sit with law enforcement agencies after finalising candidates. The meeting is scheduled for December 19.
But this is the first time the EC has sought the Home Ministry’s assistance three days before the deadline for withdrawing nomination. The EC is yet to dispose of the appeals filed against its nomination cancellations.
Earlier, a BNP delegation led by Abdul Moeen Khan met the chief election commissioner and alleged that their candidates were facing arrests and threats.
So far, 1,214 candidates filed nominations for mayoral posts, and 9,740 for councillors for general seats and 1,214 for reserved seats. Of them, nominations of 1,057 mayoral aspirants, 9,740 general councillors and 2,509 candidates for reserved councillor seats have been found valid.
