REPORTS said the LGRD Ministry has asked the Election Commission (EC) not to hold the overdue elections of eight municipalities on the alleged ground of redrawing the boundaries of the municipalities before holding elections. But critics say fears of defeat are holding them back.
The EC has already announced polls schedules on July 31 for three of the eight municipalities including Nawhata of Rajshahi, Dupchachiya of Bogra and Sripur of Gazipur. Elections of these municipalities are scheduled for September 8. Reports said the EC was now preparing to announce the election schedules for other municipal bodies. In fact, elections are overdue in 10 municipalities, including in the three mentioned above and the EC is legally bound to hold polls for nine of them by September 20. But the LGRD Ministry at first asked the EC to postpone polls for five of them including Chandpur, Manikganj, Chuadanga, Shariatpur and Phulbaria (Mymensingh) municipalities. As the ministry did not ask the EC to postpone polls to Nawhata, Dupchachiya and Sripur municipalities, it fixed the election date. But the Ministry in a letter to the EC on August 7 and again on August 12 asked the EC to suspend the September 8 elections as well.
Polls are also overdue in Sitakunda (Chittagong) and Golapganj (Sylhet). But it is now uncertain whether elections can be held in those places which the EC had decided would be held by September 15 and the schedules are ready for announcement soon.
Latest news report Wednesday said the EC has announced the postponement of all municipal body election in question, however, raising the question why the EC is not protecting its constitutional rights and rather submitting to the whims of the government.
Questions have also arisen as to why the government is forcing the EC to postpone polls to all those municipal bodies despite running out of time. Democracy can flourish only with voters exercising their right of franchise to select functionaries to run the public institutions. The government delay in holding the elections to municipalities within the stipulated time frame is only bringing its purpose to question. Critics now wonder if the government will hold any election at any level before the next Parliamentary polls fearing further defeat after the election to five city corporations in which BNP backed candidates won. Former election commissioner Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hussain raised similar questions about the government motive saying LGRD Ministry can't stop the polls after the schedules were announced. Sujan secretary Badiul Alam Majumder similarly believes that the government should not create any complexity after EC has announced the schedules.
One can notice that the government is similarly using the issue of redrawing the boundaries of the city wards to postpone the elections to two Dhaka city corporations. LGRD Secretary Abu Alam Shaheed Khan however said there is no political agenda behind postponing the elections. But most people tend to believe that the government is now failing to keep trust in the people and any defeats in local polls may further erode its confidence. But we believe most people are having a feeling that this policy will only isolate the government exposing that it is afraid of facing the people. We hope, the ruling parties will come out from a defeatist mindset and remain engaged with the people facing elections no matter what comes out from them.