BGB will not be deployed

The Election Commission has initially decided not to deploy members of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) in the upcoming Union Parishad polls, said officials.

The level of violence in UP elections will be lower than other polls. So, regular law enforcement agencies are enough to maintain the law and order situation during the polls, the EC thinks.

"As these are grassroots level elections, all candidates are known to each other. Even, many contestants are each other's relatives. So, we think the polls will witness less violence," Election Commissioner Shah Nawaz told The Daily Star.

Additional police, Rab and Ansar members will be deployed in some UPs if tension of violence prevails in the areas, said the commissioner.

"If the situation gets worse ahead of the polls, we will rethink the issue of deployment of BGB members at that time," he said.

However, BNP on February 14 in a letter expressed fear that partisan UP polls might create unrest at grassroots level and wreak havoc on public life.

For the first time in Bangladesh, elections for the post of chairman in UPs will be held in partisan lines. Elections to over 700 UPs will be held in first phase on March 22, while over 3,500 more UPs will go to polls in phases till June 4, according to the polls schedule announced by the EC on February 11.

PARTY'S AUTHORITY 

BNP has decided that its acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will attest party-nominated chairman candidates for UP polls, BNP Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed told reporters at EC Secretariat yesterday.

A six-member delegation led by Rizvi yesterday visited the EC to submit a letter informing that the party had changed a provision of its constitution for electing the senior vice-chairman through direct votes by the party councilors.

As per the previous provision, only the party's chairperson was elected by the party councilors, while the rest were selected by its chairperson.

Meanwhile, Jaitya Party in a letter yesterday informed the EC that JP Secretary General ABM Ruhul Amin Howlader will attest party's aspirants in the polls.

Awami League on Monday informed the EC that party President Sheikh Hasina would attest AL's candidates.