The Election Commission (EC) on Friday began distributing election equipment, including ballot papers, to returning officers of the municipalities that would go to polls on December 30.
The distribution of the equipment began from Bangladesh Government Press, said EC Deputy Secretary Shahjahan Khan.
Over 21 million ballot papers have been distributed for the elections this time, he said.
Equipment was sent to Chittagong, Barisal, Khulna, Sylhet and Rangpur on Friday, and to Rajshahi, Mymensingh, Faridpur, Dhaka and Comilla yesterday, amid tight security.
The equipment will reach the polling stations on December 29.
Besides, the EC had to cancel some 150,000 mayoral ballot papers as it was needed to reprint mayoral ballots in four to five municipalities after few aspirants got back their candidacies following appeals.
On December 30, 12,000 candidates will contest the elections and they can campaign till December 28 midnight.
Another EC Deputy Secretary Shamsul Alam said 12 circulars containing detailed instructions about how to hold the polls had been sent to returning officers.
“All they [returning officers] need to do now is ensure security in the polling areas. They have also been instructed to take actions against those who will violate the electoral code of conduct during campaigns at the eleventh hour.
“To conduct elections in 3,403 polling centres, 65,000 polling officials, including presiding officers, assistant presiding officers and polling officers, have been trained and their training will end today. Tk42,226,650 have been allotted for the training,” Shamsul said.
He said returning officers were asked to take action against any polling official after carrying out an investigation if any allegation had been raised against the official.
“Several polling officials in Madaripur’s Shibchar have been barred from discharging duties during polls after the allegations raised against them were proved.”
