Traditionally, polling agents of contenders challenge each other and also suspicious voters to make sure that nobody casts fake votes during elections.
But this year, because of the opposition boycott, there will not be any polling agent at the centres to challenge the agents of those candidates, who are contesting the elections.
Experts have said the EC’s main challenge will be ensuring a healthy voter turnout and give the polls credibility amid apprehension that the ruling parties – the only contenders this time – may adopt unfair means.
They said ensuring credibility was also mandatory for the Awami League-led ruling combine because of the opposition boycott and the absence of reputed international observers.
One way of doing that could be showing substantial voter presence although until a day before the elections, many voters from different social classes were undecided about going to the polling centres fearing violence, experts said.
Torching of polling centres and attacks on law enforces and election officials on the eve of the election day would only reinforce the prevailing fear, they said.
In a video clip that has reached journalists via the agent of an independent candidate in the Jessore 1 constituency, Awami League leader Afil Uddin can be seen telling his supporters: “Do not leave the field vacant. A hundred of our [Awami League] supporters will be present at every voting centre. They will go to the booths to cast vote and queue up again for voting once more. This will go on over and over again. It will create an impression among observers and journalists that many voters have gathered to cast their votes.”
Afil is the uncontested-elected lawmaker from the Jessore 2 seat who had been campaigning for his fellow party ticket-holder in the Jessore 1 constituency.
“Usually, the polling agents of contenders challenge a voter if they suspect something fishy. But it will not be possible to perfectly identify the voters from their pictures only,” Rokhsana Khondker, steering committee member of the Election Working Group, told the Dhaka Tribune.
“Since there is no opposition side in these elections, challenging of fake voters will not take place at the polling centres,” former election commissioner Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hossain told the Dhaka Tribune.
Hossain also said to what extent it would be possible for the election officials to remain “neutral” would be a big question because the ruling party leaders had been desperate to show huge voter turnouts.
