The Election Commission will cancel candidacy of mayoral and councilor candidates in the upcoming city corporation elections if they campaign as candidates of any particular political party.
“The city corporation election is a non-partisan election. If any candidate holds their election campaigning under any political party or is announced as backed by any political party, the Election Commission will cancel their candidacy,” Election Commissioner Md Shah Newaz told reporters at the EC Secretariat on Wednesday.
The commissioner stressed that the EC was committed to keep the city corporation polls non-partisan.
However, the major political parties – the Awami League and the BNP – recently announced their nominations for the elections to the city corporations in Rajshahi, Khulna, Sylhet and Barisal, and the candidates have already started campaigning under the banner of the parties they are affiliated with.
Meanwhile, the EC has received allegations that many candidates started their polls campaign much ahead of time – just after the polls schedules were announced although according to election rules, campaign time starts after the last date for withdrawal of nomination, which in this case was Sunday. But, the commission is yet to take action in this regard.
The elections to the four city corporations are scheduled for June 15 while the Gazipur City Corporation polls will be held on July 6.
On the election to the split Dhaka City Corporation, Election Commissioner Shah Newaz said it would not be possible to announce the polls schedule until the complexity centring the delimitation of Sultanganj under Dhaka South City Corporation was resolved. He said the EC wanted to hold the elections to the split DCC on the same day.
AL warns rebel candidates
The ruling Awami League will take organisational steps against party leaders, who are contesting in the city corporation polls, violating party pronouncement.
AL presidium member Mohammad Nasim, also the spokesperson of ruling 14-party coalition, announced the party decision in a press conference, Tuesday, at his Dhanmondi residence.
“The party will take action against those participating in the city corporation elections and thus going against the party decision,” Nasim said and urged activists to back only those candidates picked by the 14-party alliance.
Earlier, the ruling alliance gave support to Khairuzzaman Liton of Rajshahi, Sawkot HossainHiron of Barisal, Talukder Abdul Khaleque of Khulna, Badoruddin Kamran of Sylhet and Azmatullah Khan of Gazipur.
