Union Parishad Polls Next Month
Election offices in northern dists face manpower crisis
Some 40,000 to vie for 6, 942 posts in 8 dists
District and upazila election offices in northern districts are facing acute manpower shortage ahead of the region's 'gigantic' union parishad elections next month.
Of the 537 union parishads in eight northern districts -- Rangpur, Dinajpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Thakurgaon, Panchagarh and Nilphamari -- elections are scheduled in 534 union parishads, said sources at the regional office of the Election Commissioner in Rangpur.
Tenures of three other union parishads are yet to expire.
In each union parishad there are 13 posts of office bearers including a chairman, nine ward councillors and three female councillors in reserved seats.
Some 35,000-40,000 candidates are expected to vie for all 6,942 posts including 537 chairmen, 4,806 councillors and 1,602 female councillors (in reserved seats) under 534 UPs this time, considering the fact that five candidates on an average contested for each post in recent past UP elections.
"As per the new organogram, 10 officers and employees including one district election officer, one assistant election officer, one upper division clerk, one accounts assistant, two office assistants, two MLSS, one night guard and one sweeper are to be posted at each district election office. But in Kurigram district election office, there are only five persons," said Zelhas Uddin Ahmed, acting district election officer (DEO) of Kurigram.
Besides, election offices in old, big districts need 13 officials each.
Sources in election offices in the region said there are regular DEO only in Dinajpur and Gaibandha districts while in Rangpur, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Thakurgaon, Panchagarh and Nilphamari, Sadar upazila election officers are working as acting DEO in addition to their regular duty.
In all the eight districts, there are no assistant election officers.
Of the total 58 upazilas in the region, only 25 upazilas have regular upazila election officers (UEO).
In 16 of the 33 other upazilas, UEO of adjacent upazilas are serving as acting UEO as additional duty. In three upazilas, UNOs are performing the duties of UEO along with their regular office work.
In rest 14 upazilas, namely, Saidpur, Boda, Tentulia, Pirganj, Ranishankoil, Birganj, Chirirbandar, Birampur, Hakimpur, Pirgachha, Kaunia, Ulipur, Rajibpur and Fulchhari, steno typists are performing duties of UEO, said sources in the regional election office.
Generally, upazila election offices are manned with UEO, an office assistant and an office peon. But in many upazilas, there is even no office assistant.
"Holding union parishad election is much more difficult than that of holding Jatiya Sangsad and upazila elections as the number of candidates in UP elections is several times more," said Nilphamari Sadar UEO Sekandar Ali, also acting district election officer of Nilphamari.
UP elections comprise voluminous tasks like verifying thousands of candidate's affidavits and accounts of election expenditure, providing nomination papers to candidates and sorting those, supplying voter lists to candidates, collection of necessary polls materials from Dhaka and distributing them to centres, in addition to providing training to the polling agents, presiding officers and assistant presiding officers.
Finally, the tasks include collecting, coordinating, counting and publishing election results and maintaining contact with Election Commission office in Dhaka and so on.
"The higher authorities are well aware of the problems. Process is on to appoint manpower to the vacant posts," said Deputy Election Commissioner in the regional election office Suvash Chandra Sarker.
However, the appointment process was hindered as there was a case in the High Court regarding this matter, he added.
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